HP and the Magic of the Elders of the Universe pt3
by jjslll54
Summary: This is part three of my saga. The story loosely follows the third book of the series. In this story the powers of the Elders are brought out more and they meet new family in America. There is lots of action with science fiction and magic intermixed throughout. The DC Comics universe is brought into fruition in this story. I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the DC comics world. Just borrowing a few characters for a good story.**

_This is a continuation of my story and is set in an Alternate Universe where things can happen that can't in ours. Since this is AU, events in this story are quite different from the books but still follow the basic story line while promoting my characters abilities. Please enjoy. _

**Chapter 24: A Normal Summer, Sirius Black Escapes, Some investments Made**

After a pleasant ride home from Kings Cross station in London, Harry and Hermione were looking forward to having a normal summer of lounging around the pool and going out together. The first few weeks were just that, the couple acting like a couple, going out on dates and generally having a good time. They knew they were going to have to get their books for the next year and study ahead so they would have free time to help out others. They had already completed their summer homework by their second day home so they had that done already.

While the Potters were having fun Minister Fudge was preparing to make his annual visit to Azkaban prison to check on the prisoners. He took his copy of the Daily Prophet with him to pass the time on the trip out to the island. It had a picture of the Weasley family in it with the Pyramids of Egypt in the background. One part of the picture showed Ron standing next to his sister with his rat Scabbers on his shoulder looking around. The text of the article said that Mr. Weasley had actually won a thousand Galleons in a contest before the end of the last school year and had the trip all planned out just waiting for the children to get home from school so they could go. Of course the gold that Ginny got made it easier to afford the trip and she was generous with it, though no one in the family asked for it. The Weasley's were a proud family in that gold earned by any of the children was set aside for that person to use exclusively, within reason. They had to put a percentage in savings and were only allowed a small portion for personal use.

As the Ministers boat docked at the island, he tucked the paper under his arm and went up the path to the main gate to be admitted by the warden. He inspected several of the cells, assuring himself that prisoners like Bellatrix Lestrange were secure. One of the prisoners he visited on this day was Sirius Black. The guard opened the cell door to see Black sitting on his bench with a blank look in his eyes. Fudge walked in while the guard stood with his wand drawn in case of trouble.

"How's prison life treating you," Fudge asks," probably better that you treated Petigrew and those 12 Muggles you killed all those years ago."

Black just sat the staring blankly until he spotted the newspaper. He points at it looking at the Minister and whispers," have."

Fudge looks down at the newspaper and hands it over to him saying," Go ahead, you can see what you are missing by being in here." With that he turns around and walks out. After inspecting a few other cells, he leaves the island back to the comfort of his office at the ministry. Back at the prison Black is looking over the paper eagerly when he spots the picture and immediately notices Scabbers. He reads the article and starts murmuring over and over," He'll be at Hogwarts." The guards thought it strange he would start doing that as he hadn't made a sound in twelve years.

The next day Sirius Black escaped.

The Minister got an owl from the warden the afternoon after his visit stating Black had escaped. His cell door was found left open by the Dementor guards but no evidence could be found on how he got out. Just that he was nowhere to be found on the island. The DMLE was alerted and posters were put everywhere with his face on it. The Minister even contacted his muggle counterpart in the hope they could help. He face was shown on all the news casts and talk shows. He made all the newspapers as public enemy number one. Very dangerous, do not approach if seen, call the authorities.

Harry and Hermione were watching a movie on the television one day when the news story broke showing pictures of Sirius Black and telling how dangerous he was.

"He looks very familiar," Harry says," I feel I know him and I also feel he is innocent of killing those people. He was always around when I was little. I remember he liked to play with me and Nymie. I'm going to write a letter to grandpa and ask him about it."

Harry gets a sheet of stationary and writes a letter to grandpa asking for a meeting and sends it off with Hedwig. A few hours later Hedwig returns and with an answer to meet him in his office anytime they are ready as he was back from his vacation.

"Let's go see him. Somehow this seems important to me." Harry says.

"Let me call mum's office and let her know we may be gone when they get home" Hermione says.

"Ok, let me know when you are ready," Harry answers back.

After the call both of them phase out of the Granger den and into the Headmaster's office where they find their grandpa sitting behind his desk. They both walk over to him and give him a hug.

"How was your vacation grandpa," Hermione asks.

"It was fine. Lots of fun and sun. I even got a little reading in on the side." He answered," What can I do for you Harry?"

"Have you read the article about Sirius Black yet?" harry asks.

"Just finished it a few minutes ago," he says," What did you want to know?"

"I feel I know him and I feel he is innocent of killing all those people," Harry says," why would I have those feelings, grandpa?"

Albus sits back in his chair thinking," Sirius Black is your godfather Harry," he says," He was an Auror at the time and I sent him after Peter to capture him thinking that with him out of the way I would get away with giving you to the Dursleys. He was caught red handed at the scene where those people and Peter Petigrew were killed. He was accused of betraying your parents to Voldemort. He was the secret keeper for your parent's house which was hidden under a fidelius charm and was arrested and sent to prison. All they could find of poor Peter was a finger."

"Something is not right with that," Hermione says," Don't godparents take an oath when they are named? If so, there is no way he could have betrayed Harry. It would have killed him."

"You're right Hermione," Albus says," I had forgotten that aspect of becoming Godparents. At the time he was arrested we were still at war and people were being killed left and right. You never knew if a family member wouldn't come home from work and kill everyone in the family because of the imperious curse. I thought he would just capture Peter as I suspected he was a death eater but he let his temper get away from him and now we don't have any evidence to prove he didn't kill those people or Peter. If Peter were alive, I think I could get him retried and cleared. I'm sorry Harry; those were not very good times for me or you."

"That's ok grandpa. Thank you for clearing that up. I feel I have to do something about this but I will figure out what and let the council know." Harry says.

"That's ok Harry. We will await your decision and follow your lead." Albus says.

"Thanks grandpa. We better get back home. See you," Harry says. And with that they phase back to the Granger house.

"Hermione?" Harry asks," I just had a thought."

"What is it Harry," she asks.

"Serius Black knows about the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia is my mother's sister. I don't think he would hurt them but he might go by there looking for me." Harry says," I think it would be safe to restore their memories and inform them of the situation. We were on good terms when I we left as I had removed all of the compulsion charms around the house. We could at least visit and see what kind of people they are now."

She could tell Harry wanted to go see them. It would be nice to have more family to visit. She walks up to Harry and hugs him real tight as she could feel his emotions affecting him in this. He wanted it real bad.

"Let's see if Dad will let Jeeves drive us over on Saturday. It should at least impress them with the car." Hermione says.

When their parents get home from work that evening and after dinner Harry approaches Mr. Granger and asks," Dad, I have a favor to ask."

"Go ahead," he says.

"Sirius Black knows where the Dursley's live, and I would like to go over and restore their memories so they can be prepared and understand the situation. He is my god father and grandpa Dumbledore agrees with me he is really innocent. When a wizard becomes a godparent they have to take an oath to watch over and protect the child. If they break the oath on purpose then their magic will kill them. If the child is hurt or dies from actions not related to the godfather then they are ok. There is no way that he would ever try to hurt me, not that he could, but my point is he might try to find me and since Aunt Petunia is my mother's sister he may start there. What I would like to do is get Jeeves to drive myself and Hermione over this weekend to visit and see what kind of people they are now."

"That sounds like a good idea. Maybe they will turn out to be decent people after all. You have my permission to use the car." Mr. Granger says.

"Thanks dad," Hermione says," this means a lot to Harry."

"I could tell," he says back.

On Saturday Jeeves pulls the car out and opens the door for Harry and Hermione to climb in the back just like a perfect chauffeur. They are wearing their best clothes for the occasion. Harry is in a nice set of slacks and shirt with highly polished black shoes and Hermione has a nice dress with matching shoes and bag.

"We will have to show them magic while we are there more than likely," Hermione says.

"I think we will be ok Hermione," Harry says," We might need to exercise a little control, especially if Aunt Marge is there with Ripper."

Earlier in the day Aunt Marge did indeed show up for a week's visit. They had just finished lunch when they heard a car pull up in front of the house. They looked out the window and watched the chauffeur get out of the front and open the back door where a very pretty young girl and a good looking young man got out and walked up to the door. The doorbell rang and Vernon went to answer it. As soon as he opened the door the memory charm lifted and he recognized the young couple standing there.

"Harry, my boy," he says," how good to see you, won't you come in?"

The couple walk in the door and Marge comes in from the dining room, not having looked at the car yet, and spots Harry.

"What are you doing here? I thought we were rid of you. Get im Ripper." She says.

The dog comes running around the corner and Harry waves his hand freezing the dog in place.

"Now look what you made Harry do Marge. There is nothing wrong with my nephew and he is not a criminal." Vernon says," I'm happy to see him. It's been what, five years almost."

"That sounds about right Uncle Vernon. We have a purpose for our visit and we were hoping you wanted to see us again. I've been too long without my family," Harry says looking at Aunt Petunia and Dudley," I see Dudley has toned up real well."

"I'm boxing champ at Smeltings this year," He says.

"Good for you Dudley. Keep it up." Harry says.

Marge is still staring at Ripper wondering what is wrong with him.

Vernon says," Let's have tea in the living room."

"I'll take care of it," Hermione says.

She waves her hand and a silver tea set appears on the table with perfect china tea cups to drink from.

"Cool," Dudley says.

"The reason we came over here, besides restoring your memories, was to warn you about Sirius Black. He is my godfather and might come around here looking for me. He is totally innocent of the charges he's been accused of. There was war going on in the wizarding world at the time of his arrest. You might remember some of that Aunt Petunia," she nods and he continues," He will not harm you as his oath to protect me will not allow him to. Anyway he was thrown into prison and lost in the shuffle. How he escaped is a mystery as no one has ever escaped from Azkaban before."

"So, we should be ok," Vernon asks?

"I'm pretty sure everything will be fine." Harry says.

Outside the window in the shade rests a large black dog listening to every word being spoken. He was very happy to hear his godson's voice.

Harry looks over at Marge and says," You should sit down Aunt Marge before you faint. I have a couple of possible business opportunities to discuss with the two of you. First though, Aunt Marge needs an explanation. Hermione is a witch and I am a Wizard. That means we can do magic. You saw some of it just now and that is what is holding Ripper in place. I will release him if you can keep him under control."

She nods so he releases the dog where she says," Ripper, sit."

The dog obediently sits next to her.

"To continue, my parents didn't die in a car crash as you were led to believe. They died in a war, murdered by a terrorist and a thug. They tried to kill me as well but the spell backfired leaving this scar on my forehead. I was left with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon without their permission like a bottle of milk on the doorstep. The person that did this has since repented his sins and I was able to remove the compulsion charms around this house. You probably noticed Vernon is a different man now than when I lived here. Magic is real and Hermione and I are proof. You are family is the reason I am telling you this and you are not allowed to tell anyone else."

Harry looks at Riiper and then at Aunt Marge and says," You seem to have Ripper well trained. You are always going on about your dogs. Tell me about them."

Aunt Marge looks at Harry wondering why he would ask that.

"Marge, Look out the front window at the car he came in," Vernon says.

She gets up and looks out the window and sees the Rolls and Jeeves standing next to it polishing it.

"You have a chauffeur," She asks?

"Jeeves is also our butler. He is the perfect all around person for our home. We live in Crawley comfortably and our neighborhood has its own discrete security service. I assume you run an actual kennels or would like to?" Harry asks.

"I would like to run a kennels full time, I enjoy raising dogs but would need an investor to run a full time business." She responds.

Harry looks at Hermione and thinks_," This would a good opportunity for some profit and help out the elves. One or two could keep the cages clean and the dogs groomed properly and we could have a vet on retainer to keep them healthy. They would be the perfect reliable employee for this type of work."_

She nods at him and thinks back_," that sounds good Harry. We would be expanding our business portfolio. I approve of your idea for your uncle as well. I picked up on that one on the way over."_

"_You are a wonderful wife. I love you."_ Harry smiles at her.

"_I love you too."_ Hermione responds.

"Look at them Marge," Vernon whispers," they are talking to each other in their heads. Isn't it wonderful to see young love like that?"

"I see you noticed our conversation just then. Vernon knows this because he witnessed it. When we were eight years old Hermione and I bonded together in what is called a soul bond. It's like what non magicals call a marriage made in heaven. In the magical world it is real. What it means, in real terms, is that before we were born, the creator of all things, or God, as you call him, created two souls that were to belong together for a purpose. Once bonded, we became essentially one soul in two bodies. We can't help but love each other more than life. Our purpose is to bring this world out of anarchy and to unite all the nations of the Earth. This will take some time, of course. This may be hard for you to believe but Hermione and I are immortal. We cannot be killed and will live until such time as the creator determines our jobs are done."

They stand together and morph into the Pantheras so that the family can see the truth of his words. They morph back and sit back down and sip their tea while the Dursleys absorb what was said.

"You're those aliens that rescued the train on the telly," Marge said.

"That was us but we were born right here on Earth, same as you. Our DNA is different because it was engineered off planet and then brought here for implantation. Hermione's parents volunteered, while my parents thought it was a natural process. They would have been told if there had been time. The war here and the fact that our native sun went nova put paid to that so I didn't get to meet Hermione until I was eight or we would have grown up together." Hermione says.

"Ok, back to business. Where do you live Aunt Marge," Harry asks?

"I live out in the country. That is why I come to visit for a week in the summer." She says.

"Perfect, here is the deal. I notice you seem to drink a lot of sherry. If you will cut back to moderation for your health, I will finance the building of cages and supply a couple of elves to keep the dogs groomed and the cages clean. They will even keep your house up for you. They love to work and you will never hear a complaint from them. I will even put a vet on retainer to make sure the dogs stay healthy. Hermione and I will be silent partners for ten percent of the profit. If you can run a good business then we will come out ahead every year." Harry says.

"What are elves," Marge asks?

Harry calls out," Lorry, Stan." And two elves pop in, bow and say," You called sire?"

"Yes," Harry points over to Marge," this is my Aunt Marge. She will need help running a dog kennel. Would you like to work for her?"

"Yes sire, we love animals and will do a good job for her," They look at her and notice she is a non-magical and change into a nice looking young couple that would be perfect to help run a business.

"They look nice and respectable and I believe they will do a good job. Better than relying on kids to keep the kennels clean," Marge says.

"Oh no ma'am," the elves say, "We understand what it means to take care of any animal. We are happy to do this."

"I will take care of the elves payment as they get paid by being bonded to Hermione and me. It's how they keep their magic. All you have to do is feed them and give them a room to sleep in. You can work that out later." Harry says," Aunt Marge, for as long as you are able we will help you and you should be able to retire comfortably when the time comes."

"Thank you Harry," she said with tears in her eyes," This is my dream come true. Draw up the paperwork and we'll get started this summer."

He nods at her and then turns to Uncle Vernon.

"Would you say you are good at your job Uncle Vernon," Harry asks?

"I would say I do my best to help the company make a profit. I feel like I am being held back by upper management at times though," He answers.

"I think that as well," Harry says," Hermione and I have been watching your progress and can see where the top people have made some poor decisions and stocks aren't getting anywhere. Do you think you can bring the company around if you were in charge? Do you want the responsibility?"

"I love a good challenge and I think I could do a good job of it." Vernon answered.

"Good, Hermione and I already own thirty five percent of the stock in Grunnings. We will buy up the rest and make you director. This should be a nice promotion for you. Get you a larger house in a not so mundane neighborhood and provide for a good retirement. You can even train Dudley to take over for you if that is what he wants when he graduates college."

"How can you two be so smart at such young an age," Marge asks amazed how mature they sound.

"It's part of our genetic makeup. We have Nano-probes in our blood. Those are the equivalent of small computers. We both have the equivalent to PHDs in several fields. It's also why we do so well in magic school as we remember everything ever said or taught in class. It is necessary for us to do our jobs." Hermione responded.

"That sound great Harry," Vernon says," I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, uncle Vernon. I will make the arrangements with Gringotts Bank and Grunnings will become a family business. By the way, Hermione's Parents are dentists of the highest caliper and they have connections. I'm sure this will help in the overall picture as well. If things work out well we will have a majority of the drill contracts for Greater London," Harry says.

"I like the way you think, Harry," Vernon says," I do believe we will get on just fine."

Harry and Hermione stand up and says," let's all go out to dinner and celebrate."

"Tippy," Harry calls out. Tippy pops in and says," Yes sire."

"Everyone like Italian?" nods all around," appropriate attire for Donitello's please and make sure the Granger's can join us."

She looks around and snaps her fingers and everyone is dressed to the nines for a night out at a high class restaurant.

They all leave in the Rolls and make their way to Donitello's Fine Italian Food where they meet with the Grangers and go in. Once they are seated Harry does the introductions.

"I am making arrangements with Gringotts to buy the rest of the stock in Grunning Drills and will make Uncle Vernon director of the company, while I am also helping Aunt Marge with her dream of running a kennel. She raises bulldogs and does a good job on the ones she has." Harry says while Hermione looks on proudly at her husband and how he is handling things.

After handshakes all around Mr. Granger says," I've heard of Grunnings. After you get settled in we will have to come for a tour of the facility. If I like what I see we might be able to do business together. I also have connections to the National Dental Assn. So there is great potential if this works out."

"I would be honored to have you tour our facility to see how drills are made sir. I will contact you as soon as I can arrange it," Vernon says.

"Names George," Mr. Granger says," If Harry believes in you, I do too. The rest is just a formality."

After a very good dinner Harry has Jeeves drive the Dursleys home while the Potters phase the Grangers back to their home, where after watching Dr. Who, everyone goes to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 25: Investments, a Shooting Star and a Trip to School

The next day the Potters phase to Diagon Alley near the entrance steps to Gringotts and proceed up them into the bank. The wizards in the alley notice the door guards bow to Harry and Hermione along with giving them a salute of sword across the chest or spear leaning out straight armed. The Potters nod to them as they pass the guards. Word has already reached Ragnok that the King and Queen have entered the bank and he rushes out to greet them.

He bows and says," Welcome to Gringotts My Lord and Lady. How may the bank serve you today?"

"We would like to talk about a couple of investments we want to make," Harry says.

"Let's retire to my office sire and we will discuss the matter," Ragnok says.

The wizards inside the bank heard the word sire and wondered what that was about along with being greeted by the leader of the goblin nation, who never interacts with wizards. Also the alley was filling with rumors as to why the guards acted like they did. The Potters must be very important people indeed to provoke that kind of response from the goblins.

Harry and Hermione followed Ragnok to his office where he sat behind his desk and conjured a couple of comfortable chairs for the couple.

"Tell me about these investments," He inquires.

"First I want to inform you that my relatives and I have reconciled. After Sirius Black escaped, I had to restore their memories and inform them of the situation in case he went over there looking for me. It turns out everything was okay anyway since I removed the hostility charms that were put on the house when I was left there," Harry explained.

"That's good news sire, it is always good to have family about you," Ragnock responded.

"Okay, the first investment is in my Aunt Marge Dursley. She has been raising bulldogs as a hobby for a while now and knows how to handle and train the dogs. She has always wanted to have a full time business raising and training the dogs. I have already assigned two elves to be her assistants and would like for you to arrange to have kennels built and supplied and have a vet on retainer to keep the dogs healthy. I told her since she was family we would be silent partners for ten percent of the profits. I know it won't be a large investment but it will make her happy." Harry says.

"That can be arranged easily My Lord," Ragnok says.

"The next investment has the potential for much more profit. I want you to buy up the rest of the stock in Grunnings Drills for us and I'm installing my Uncle, Vernon Dursley, as director of the company. He will get a huge promotion and Hermione's father can bring in a lot of business for the firm. I'm sure there is unlimited potential for growth in this business if we handle it right. With your help I believe it will work." Harry says.

"Very good, sire. It will be taken care of and I will owl you when the transactions are complete," Ragnok says.

Harry reaches out and shakes hands with the goblin to seal the deal. Then they get up and are escorted by Ragnok back to the lobby, where the goblin bows to them before they depart.

As they exit the bank, the guards salute them again which they acknowledge and then proceed on a leisurely stroll down the alley. There was a strong auror presence due to Black's escape.

"We might as well get our supplies while we are here. Third year offers more classes so I am adding Arithmancy and Ancient Runes to my core classes," Harry says, "that should give us ten, a full schedule. Muggle studies and Divination are not needed since we are not oracles and our regular education takes care of the other. Astronomy is not needed due to who we are. So that should leave us with History of Magic, Defense, Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration and Charms."

"Sounds good to me Harry, "she says as they head over to the book store. When they arrive, they find a crowd around a large cage full of books. The store owner has a bat in his hands as he is trying to beat back the books so he could get one out for the next customer. The books are trying to bite the store owner and growling at him. Harry looks at the book title, "The Monster book of Monsters", and grins at the mayhem. Hermione thinks it's funny as well as they had gotten their book as birthday present from Hagrid on Harry's birthday.

He leans over to the store owner and whispers," You have to stroke the spine to calm the book down. It's like rubbing a cat's fur to get it to purr."

"Thanks for that. I've been fighting these things all day." He says. After that he levitates a book out, strokes it and calmly completes the sale. The potters gather all of their books together before taking them up to the counter and paying for them. They then shrink them down and put them in their pocket. When they go back out again the Weasley clan is out doing their shopping as well and the Potters meet up with them.

Hermione notices Scabbers looking a little peaked and tired and asks," what's wrong with your rat Ron?"

"I don't know. He's been like this since we got back from Egypt," Ron says, "I'm going to take him to the pet store to let them have a look at him."

"We'll come along as we need supplies for Hedwig and Hermione wants to look for a pet," Harry says.

The trio goes into Eeylops Emporium where Ron goes up to the front counter and puts Scabbers down for the clerk to examine.

"What's wrong with him," the clerk asks?

"He's been like this since we got back from Egypt. He won't eat and wants to sleep all the time," Ron says.

"How long have you had him," the clerk asks?

"Well he was my brother Percy's and then he was handed down to me. Let's see, about twelve years," Ron answers.

"Well, there's your problem. Most rats of this species only live about seven years. All I can do for you is sell you some tonic that might help pep him up some." The clerk says.

While Ron was at the front counter Hermione was looking around the store at the cats as she has always wanted one. Just then a large orange blur shot past them and tried to pounce on Scabbers who shot out of the store as fast as he could to get away.

"Crookshanks, no," the clerk said exasperated.

Ron ran outside looking for Scabbers and Harry followed to help. When Harry exited the store he discreetly waved his hand summoning the rat. He called out to Ron," here he is," and hands him back.

A few minutes later Hermione comes out of the store with a large orange cat with a squashed in face in her arms.

"You bought that thing," Ron says incredulously," it almost ate Scabbers," Who was hiding in Ron's pocket shaking.

"It's what cats do, Ron," Hermione says," Besides, Crookshanks is a kneazle, not a cat, and he is adorable, aren't you boy," as she snuggles up to him petting him making him purr like a cat. Crookshanks looks over at Harry, who offers a hand to sniff, and accepts him as Hermione's mate.

"Well keep him away from me and Scabbers, "Ron says and walks off to catch up to his family.

"He'll get over it," Harry says while rubbing Crookshanks fur," Let's finish our shopping and head home. They continue their shopping trip by getting potion supplies along with new quills and parchment. Then they walk over to the apparition point where an Auror nods at them. They phase back to the Grangers house, amazing the Auror by the fact there was no noise and that they could do it at all at such a young age. He waved his wand around the apparition point and could find no trace of an apparition. The Auror knew they were emancipated and thought they had a license but now he was not so sure. It didn't quite look like apparition either, more like they faded from view.

When they arrived home Hermione called out to her parents," we're home and I bought myself a kneazle."

Mr. and Mrs. Granger walks in and Mrs. Granger says," bless you, what did you say?"

"I didn't sneeze mum. I bought a kneazle, It's a highly intelligent form of magical cat. They can interbreed with regular cats and they can detect when a person is being dishonest," she says," His name is Crookshanks; I have a cage for him when traveling and he can pretty much take care of himself."

She sets him down on the floor where he goes over to the Grangers and rubs against them purring, knowing they were his new master's parents, then runs off exploring his new territory. Hermione conjures a cat door in the back entrance allowing Crookshanks outside to explore the yard and surrounding area. He comes across the scent of a field mouse and follows it, hoping for a quick meal.

"You are taking him to school with you aren't you," Mrs. Granger asks?

"Of course, mum. There is lots of room for him to run and lots of mice and rats for him to catch. He will have a jolly time at school; plus he will make a good companion."

"What about Hedwig," Mr. Granger asks?

"Hedwig is our familiar," Hermione says," Phoenix's are super intelligent and would rather be treated like an equal or a partner, which she is, but she is too large to curl up in my lap while I read a book or just want to cuddle.

"Okay, Hermione, we get the point. As long as you take care of him and he doesn't make a mess, we approve," Mrs. Granger says.

"Thanks mum," Hermione says, relieved she didn't get into trouble for not asking first.

"Harry, let's go check out our new books and study ahead a bit," Hermione says.

"Coming," Harry says obediently.

The Grangers just shake their heads while smiling at the studious nature of their children.

Harry and Hermione head up to their room where they set about studying ahead so they would be available for their patrols and to help other students as needed.

Later that afternoon the Potters were lying out by the pool when they saw a streak of light entering the atmosphere headed west.

"That doesn't look like a meteorite Hermione," Harry says," It looks more like a ship on re-entry; possibly in trouble."

"Yea, I see it too. It is definitely not a shuttle or any Earth ship. We better investigate," Hermione says.

Hermione yells," Mum, dad, we'll be back as soon as we can."

With that they morph into their Panteras personas, disillusion themselves and take off after the ship. As soon as they reach high altitude at just under mach one to keep from breaking any windows, they accelerate to speeds in excess of mach 7.5 in pursuit of the ship. The mundanes were also tracking the ship and now the two objects following it.

"_We're going to have to speed up if we want to catch it,"_ Huntress thinks to Hunter.

"_I know,"_ Hunter thinks back_," Let's see if we can."_

They speed up to near mach 12 as they cross the ocean towards America. They catch up to it about three fourths of the way across the Atlantic and see it is an arrow shaped ship with a round section in the middle with the leading edges red hot from atmospheric entry.

"_Looks like a Kryptonian design,"_ Hunter thinks to Huntress, after consulting his nano-probes.

"_I wonder why they would send a ship here. It looks more like a life pod as I can sense only one life form inside,_" Huntress thinks back.

"_It's starting to descend. It must be programmed for a specific landing zone. Let's follow it down and make sure it doesn't hit anything."_ Hunter thinks.

They followed the ship towards the center plains of America where it ploughs into a corn field, just missing a couple in a pickup truck causing it to turn over. The hunters land and check on the couple in the truck. They reappear and crouch down, looking in the cab of the truck. See the occupants are okay but upside down Hunter says," Hold onto something and we'll turn you back over."

The couple in the truck grabs onto hand holds and hangs on while Hunter and Huntress turn the truck back on its wheels. When they are righted Hunter waves his hand and the damage is repaired.

"Are you two okay," Hunter asks?

"Yea, we weren't going that fast. I think the backwash from whatever that thing was turned us over," The man says," I'm Jonathan Kent and this is my wife Martha. You those aliens we saw on the news?"

"I suppose we are. My name is Hunter and this is my wife Huntress," Hunter says," We saw the ship enter the atmosphere over England and followed it here. We need to investigate it before the government gets here. The foursome walk along the trail left by the ship and when they arrive at the end of the furrow made by the ship a white beam of fan shaped light reaches out and scans them top to bottom. Satisfied it has landed at the right place; with the scans showing the Elders along with the persons it was looking for, the round section opens up to reveal a young boy of about two and a half years wrapped in a blue and red blanket.

"He's just a baby," Martha exclaims!

A female voice comes out of a speaker in Krytonian," Thank the Creator, please Elders, make sure that my son is protected from the local government and are adopted by the Kent's. Our sun went nova and we were not allowed to leave, so we smuggled our baby out in this modified life-pod just before the event. Due to time dilation and the distance traveled, he should appear to be about two and half Earth years old even though he will be nearer six. His birthdate on your calendar would be May 13, 1987. The ship will hide it self and become available for Kal-El when he turns eighteen, he will know what to do with it."

Huntress is translating for the Kent's as the voice comes from the speaker. Mr. and Mrs. Kent look at each other and then look at the Hunters and say," We'll take him, we've always wanted children, but Martha couldn't have any due to a riding accident when she was a child."

"Are you sure? That is a Kryptonian designed ship. If the child is from Krypton, he will have powers similar to ours. If you can handle teaching him how to control those powers and be discreet about it then I don't see a problem with it. He will have to discover these powers for himself. Just be there when he needs help," Huntress says while picking up the little boy and handing him over to Martha.

"Are you going to be my new mommy," he asks?

"I would like to be. Are you okay with that," Martha asks with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, my birth parents picked your farm for me to land on in the hopes you would find me," he says.

Martha and Jonathan look at each other amazed at his apparent intelligence.

"It appears he was educated while on his trip." Huntress says," We were the same when we were younger."

As soon as he is taken from the ship a green crystal pops out of a slot in the side of the ship landing on the ground. An envelope with birth records also falls out with it. The bubble closes and the ship lifts up off the ground, activates it cloaking device and speeds off north.

"A home crystal," Hunter exclaims when he sees the crystal on the ground.

Hunter bends over and picks it up, along with the envelope. "It's what Kryptonian's use to build their homes. Kal-El will know how to activate it when he comes of age. Keep it safely hidden until then. The envelope has birth records for you and the ship said it modified the computer records as it passed over, so you should be in the clear."

"You two go ahead and go home and we will repair the field. The government will have nothing to find when it gets here." Hunter says.

The Kent's retreat to their truck and after securing Kal-El in a conjured car seat given to them by Huntress they head home.

"They should make good parents," Huntress says," I scanned them to be sure before handing over Kal-el. He is mundane, like them, except he will develop powers that will allow him to fly like us and be strong."

"We will have to check up on him when he gets older," Hunter says.

"Yea," Huntress says," there was something about Martha though. When I scanned her I felt a connection like I should know her or something."

"We can always come back if you figure it out," Hunter says.

With that said they rise up and wave their hands, repairing the field back to its original rows of corn growing normally.

The Hunters then disillusion themselves and fly back toward England keeping it under mach one until they are out of the area then accelerate to mach 7 for the rest of the flight home.

Shortly after the Hunters leave, Army helicopters fly over the area looking for a crash site. Not finding anything, they conclude whatever it was must have burned up before it hit the ground and fly back to their base.

The Kent's drive home very happy with their new son. They stop along the way for clothes and furniture, necessary for a new addition to the family.

A while later the Hunters land in the Grangers back yard and morph back into Harry and Hermione and resume lounging in the backyard, looking up at the stars.

The Grangers come out and Mr. Granger asks," Where did you go that you had to leave in such a hurry?"

"We saw a ship enter the atmosphere just above us headed west and decided to follow it to make sure it didn't do any damage or hit anything on impact," Hermione says.

"A ship," Mrs. Granger asks?

"Yes, at first we thought it was a big meteorite but we used our special vision and saw it had an arrow shape with a round bubble section in the middle," Harry says," when we caught up to it, it looked like a small life-pod as we only sensed one life-form inside. We followed it down to a cornfield, in Kansas, I think."

Hermione nods to confirm that was where they were," That's not all; the ship had a young boy in it. The ship spoke to us and called us elders and asked us to make sure the young man was safe, so we gave him to a couple that witnessed the landing, during which their vehicle was turned over by the backwash from the ship. I scanned the couple and they were suitable to raise him as one of us. We think he is from Krypton and will have similar powers to ours. He is also mundane, meaning no magic, which is why we didn't bring him with us."

"Wow, that's some story. You went all the way to the middle of America and back in less than three hours. You two never cease to amaze me." Mr. Granger says.

Jeeves then calls out the back door," dinner is served."

Everyone goes in and enjoys one of Jeeves home cooked meals.

On September first Jeeves drives the family to Kings Cross where after hugs and kisses all around they board the train for the trip to school. The couple wandered down the aisle looking for an empty compartment and found one near the end of the train with one person in it, apparently asleep. They went in and expanded the compartment and sat down to wait on their friends.

"I hope he doesn't mind company," Harry says," everywhere else is full."

"I'm sure he won't mind if we keep the noise level down," Hermione says.

The person that was in the compartment with them felt the magic of the room expansion and nearly opened his eyes in surprise. Even though he appeared to be asleep, he was really watching through nearly closed eyelids and recognized Harry right away and knew he was his new employer. He didn't understand the situation at Hogwarts all that well since he had been out of the country for several years but jumped on the job when it was offered. Soon the compartment was full and Harry and Hermione took over handing out assignments for the study group. Each person had a subject that they were particularly good at and would help the group as a whole.

"Who's the new person," Ron asks?

"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione responds, "Harry and I approved his employment as our new Defense instructor. We know from his background that he at least has his masters in the subject, unlike our last one, who couldn't master anything but his smile."

As they were talking everyone noticed it was getting colder and colder. The windows started to frost over when the train suddenly lurched to a stop throwing a couple of the students from their seats with Ginny having sprained her wrist. The lurch woke up the professor who observed as Harry took Ginny's wrist in his hand and with a soft glow healed the sprain.

She moves it about, feeling no pain says," Thanks Harry."

"No problem Ginny, glad I could help," Harry responded, "I wonder what's going on?"

Just then a large eerie looking creature, about seven feet tall, with skeletal hands and a cowl covering its face opened the compartment door. It floated in, pulling its hood back revealing a skeletal face with a round hollow tube like protrusion where its mouth would be and with a sucking sound like indrawn breath started pulling the emotions from Susan, causing her to scream. Professor Lupin pulled his wand and yelled," Expecto Patronum" and a white wolf formed and chased out the creature. Harry and Hermione picked up on the spell right away and added their own, a larger than life stag and doe, which chased the creatures from the train.

"Was that a dementor," Harry asks, in disgust?

Lupin nods," yes it was, it shouldn't be here. They are the primary guards for Azkaban. Their sole purpose in life is to suck out any happiness you might have and they can suck out your soul as well. It is a form of death sentence which leaves your body alive, but a soulless body won't live long. They are the worst beings on the planet, they should be eliminated on principle, but no one knows if they can be killed."

"What are dementors doing here?" Hermione asked, "Black is not on the train or we would have known."

Professor Lupin passed around chocolate to everyone to help them feel better and then asked, "Why would you say that."

"Everyone has a unique magical signature which Harry and I can detect, we would have known if an unknown wizard or witch had come aboard," Hermione says," The first years and other younger students have immature cores and are easy to tell from older students and adults."

The train starts to move again and Hermione says," Come on Harry, let's patrol around the train to make sure none of those creatures come back." He agrees and they step out the back door of the train and take off flying around the train. The students inside could occasionally see their patronuses flash out chasing the dementors further from the train.

After a while the pair comes back in and says," The area is clear, I think they got the message to leave the train alone."

"You two are amazing," Professor Lupin says," you are going to be a pleasure to teach."

The rest of the trip went smoothly with no interruptions and when they arrived at Hogsmead, everyone departed the train and rode the carriages and boats to the school.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN) Sorry for this short chapter. Needed to get the dementor issue taken care of and the children sorted.**_

Chapter 26: Dementors, Fudge, a Confrontation and Sorting

When Harry and Hermione saw the dementors surrounding the school and the effect they had on the younger children, some of whom were crying when they went in to check on them, they were furious. It was bad enough on the train with just a few, but there were hundreds around the school, all feeding on the emotions of the children.

Harry walks up to the head table with Hermione by his side and demanded an explanation.

The Headmaster said, "Minister Fudge put them there and then refused to remove them when I made the demand. He said Sirius Black kept saying 'he's at Hogwarts' over and over just before he escaped. He is sure Black is headed this way."

"The wards we put around this school will keep anyone with hostile intent away from the school. If he does show up with hostile intent he won't get in." Harry stated.

"We will take care of it," Hermione says in a voice of authority that no one has heard before except Harry, "Have the children on the front lawn in ten minutes. What we are about to do should calm them. We are about to give a demonstration of our power."

Harry's eyes take on an ethereal glow and he says to Hermione," Concentrate on Fudges office. He is there."

Her eyes also take on a glow when they hold hands and phase out.

"I'd hate to be in Fudges shoes about now," Professor Snape says. Everyone agrees.

Minister Fudge and his undersecretary, Umbridge, were having a meeting thinking what a good idea it was for posting the dementers around Hogwarts when Harry and Hermione phased into his office right in front of his desk. The minister noticed their very displeased expressions and their glowing eyes.

"You two are coming with us," Harry says.

He grabs Fudge while Hermione grabs Umbridge and they phase out to near the front gates of Hogwarts, within the wards.

"Look at them Fudge. What does it look like they are doing?" Harry demands.

Fudge looks at the dementors and says," It looks like they are hitting some kind of barrier. Is that the ward line?"

"Yes, that is the inner ward barrier. It will not allow anything or anyone with hostile intent towards any student or staff to enter. They are obviously trying to enter and can't, "Harry says, "What does that tell you?"

"What are you getting at Potter," Fudge demands.

"The wards won't let them in because they have hostile intent towards the students. Just look over there at the younger students Minister, some of the younger ones are crying and in obvious distress. The dementors can sense all the happiness that the children have and are anxious to feed on it. That is why they are being rejected by the wards. " Harry points to the students gathered on the lawn," Something else you should think about. Some of these students have parents who are voters."

"Dementors are nothing more than vermin that feed off a person's happiness and sow despair. They will suck out a person's soul without a thought," Hermione breaks in," Let me ask you this, what is the sentence for a common thief?"

"Five years in Azkaban," Fudge answered.

"If they have to be around those things, you might as well sentence all criminals to life or just chop their heads off and be done with it. There is no way to reform a petty thief if he is insane by the time he serves his sentence," Hermione says," since you refuse to remove them we will do it for you."

"You can't make them leave, they only take orders from the Ministry," Umbridge says smugly.

"Who said anything about making them leave? What do you do with a house full of bugs, Minister," Hermione asks?

With that Harry and Hermione fly up to the height the dementors were floating and taking off faster than the eye could follow they flew along the line, destroying them. All anyone could see were red beams of light, like lasers, going through the dementors like a hot knife through butter. The beams were thinner than what a spell makes and in a few seconds it was all over, not a dementor in sight. The children cheered and looked on in awe of the Potters.

"Who are you; that you can do such a thing," Fudge asks when they land, trembling and twirling his hat nervously.

"We are the Elders of the Universe, and we will not tolerate anyone who treats children in this manner. If you don't clean up your act, your time in office grows short. Show us you can be a competent minister and your job is safe. As for you Madam Undersecretary, if you don't change your way of thinking and join the twentieth century you will be out of a job all together." Harry says.

By this time Professor Dumbledore had joined them," I told you not to make an enemy of them Cornelius, this is just some of what they can do. You have now drawn their attention onto yourself and Madam Umbridge. Consider what they said as probation. They have the authority to follow through with their threat."

"What authority," Umbridge asks?

Harry draws a sword from an, until then, invisible scabbard and says," The authority of Excalibur. I would rather not interfere in the day to day running of the Ministry but Hermione and I, as King and Queen of Magical Britain, can and will if it becomes necessary. Please don't make it necessary."

"Yes, sire," They both say.

"And keep the fact we are King and Queen to your selves for now. We are going to treat the Ministry the same way the muggle Queen does hers, as long as it doesn't get out of line. We will work through the Wizengamot to get laws passed for the betterment of our country." Hermione says.

"Fudge tips his hat to her and walks out the gates in order to disapparate back to the ministry to contemplate what they just witnessed and what they were told.

The students cheered Harry and Hermione when they walked in for getting rid of the dementors. The Potters and the professors went around checking the younger students while passing out bits of chocolate to sooth their nerves. When they were done with making sure the children were okay, the Potters sat at their table and waited for the sorting to start. Professor McGonagall set the sorting hat onto the stool where it cleared its throat to sing:

To all the first years

Set aside your fears

Where through me

You will meet your new peers

Just put me on your head

And we will see

Which house

Is yours to be

Gryffindor is one house

For the brave and true

Ones with courage

Will fit through and through

Hufflepuff is one house

For hard workers with loyal trends

Ones with best intentions

Will make good friends

Ravenclaw is one house

For the intelligent and smart

Ones who are studious

This is the place to start

Slytherin is one house

For the ambitious few

Ones with cunning

This is the place for you

The houses are slowly

Beginning to unite

Thanks to the Elders

Who are starting to fight

What we saw today

Were the Elders sanction

Educating one faction

Due to their action

Come to the front

One by one to me

To see which haunt

Is yours to be

The students cheered the new song and everyone knew who the Elders were now. After the cheering died down everyone paid attention as Professor McGonagall unrolled the scroll and started calling names. Each house cheered as they received a new student and made them welcome. When the sorting was done, as has happened for the last two years Professor Dumbledore walked up to the podium and raised himself a few inches until everyone could see him. The room got quiet waiting for his speech.

"Welcome; welcome to Hogwarts. For all of the first years, my name is Headmaster Dumbledore. We have a few new teachers this year so let me introduce them. On my right is Professor Remus Lupin our new Defense against the Dark arts instructor. At the end of the table is Professor Rubius Hagrid, the new Care of Magical Creatures Instructor. We are also offering a new class this year. The class will be taught by Firenze who is a centaur. Centaurs cannot navigate stairs; therefore he will have a classroom on the ground floor so he can return to the forest as needed. This is a special class and not everyone will qualify. He will screen you to see if you qualify, so do not be offended if you get turned down as centaurs ways are different from humans and you have to have a certain temperament to get into his class. As usual the forbidden forest is just that; forbidden to all except masters and their apprentices. Schedules will be given out in the morning at breakfast so don't miss out. That is all for the announcements. LET THE FEAST BEGIN," He claps his hands twice and food appears on the tables for the students and staff.

Everyone cheers and then digs in.

After the feast was over the Headmaster stood up and claps his hands again and the tables cleared.

"Prefects, please lead the new students to your common rooms at this time. Remember, schedules to given out at breakfast. Don't be late."

The prefects led the new students to their common rooms and gave out instructions on where to sleep and rules for their house.

As the students slept, Sirius Black was making his way north towards Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 27: Firenze, Buckbeak and Consequences

The next morning, Harry and Hermione get cleaned up then head on down to the Great Hall for breakfast and to get their schedules. When they arrive at the Hufflepuff table Neville is already there eating and soon the rest of the gang arrives to enjoy a good breakfast. Professor Sprout hands out schedules and every one compares.

"You and Hermione are sure taking a lot of classes this year," Neville says.

"We chose to take this many and only skipped out on the ones we already know, such as muggle studies and astronomy. We were raised in the muggle world so we already know how muggles live and because of who we are, we already know about the stars and planets. We have already studied ahead in all of our subjects so any of you need help let us know," Hermione answers.

"I signed up for Divination and Muggle studies because I thought they would be easy classes and I might learn something useful, " Neville says," At least I will find out if I have any leaning toward Divination and will learn how muggles do things."

"Maybe those classes will help boost your confidence a little. A few good grades you can boast about to your grandmother will always be a big help," Harry says.

"I'll try, with you guys to help out I should be able to," Neville replies.

"That's the spirit Neville. We're always here to help," Harry says.

"Looks like first period is so Firenze can screen applicants for his class," Hermione says while looking at her schedule," Might as well get started."

Harry and Hermione walk down to the ground floor near the transfiguration courtyard where they find Firenze in a classroom with dirt on the floor with the room transfigured into a forest setting. There are logs and stumps for the students to sit on instead of desks and a place for a campfire when it gets cold.

The couple walk in, seeing several other students there already, and Firenze says," Welcome Royal Elders. I was instructed to teach you two our ways and to allow other students I thought worthy to join in. We have a different way to divine the future than humans and we have traditions and a way of life you might come to appreciate. It will take a lot of patience to learn and will not be for everyone. Some of the classes will be outside, weather permitting, to look at the stars to teach you our way of predicting the future which is quite accurate. This is how we know when it is time to move on or stay and fight."

Harry says," Hello Firenze, it's good to see you again. I can help with the weather issue if you like so you can study the stars any night despite the weather."

"How can this be done," He asks?

Harry thinks to Hogwarts_," Please convert the ceiling to reflect the sky outside accurately."_

The ceiling shimmers for a few seconds and then turns into what looks like a very large window, looking directly up at the morning sky.

"I asked Hogwarts to convert the ceiling to show the sky as it is. It will always be correct, and will see through the clouds so we can view the stars despite the weather." Harry says.

"Very well Mr. Potter. This will prevent delays in the teaching schedule."

Firenze then goes on and gives a short lesson on the centaur culture and way of life. Then says by way of dismissal," If you have the patience to learn what I have to teach, regular classes will be held Friday evenings after dinner at eight o'clock."

With that being said, he trots out the door and heads back into the forest to his camp.

"That will certainly be an interesting class," Hermione says," I'm not sure about the divination part, as we don't have the insight the centaurs have, but we can at least learn how they read the stars and planets."

"Yea, we'll have to leave interpretation up to them. At least we will understand them better and be able to talk to them properly," Harry says.

After leaving the classroom, the couple proceeds towards Hagrid's hut for the Care of Magical Creatures class. Since this was a voluntary class and sign up was low enough, all four houses were represented. As Harry and Hermione approached the group they noticed a lot of books with either belts or spello-tape around them to keep the owners from getting bit by the books. Harry and Hermione look at each other with amusement and smile.

"Attention everyone," Hermione says," You need to treat the book as if it were an animal such as a cat. If you want a cat to purr you pet it or rub its fur. In this case stroke the spine of the book and it will calm right down and be your friend."

Everyone stroked their books and a lot of satisfied growls occurred letting them remove the restraints. The books were happy.

Hagrid walks up from the forest and beckons," Follow me class. I have a special treat for your today."

Everyone follows Hagrid, wondering how far into the forest they were going to go, since it was the Forbidden Forest after all. They didn't have anything to worry about because as they got to the edge of the forest there was a corral with some strange looking bird like creatures in it. The front half of the animal looked like an eagle complete with feathers, wings, along with a curved beak and talons. The back half was that of a horse. They were quite regal and proud looking animals.

Hagrid coaxes one of them out of the corral and approaches the class," This is Buckbeak, isn't he a beaut. He is what is called a Hippogriff, he's half bird and half horse. Normally they are docile and very easy to get along with once they get to know you. However, you don't want to get on the bad side of a hippogriff, it might be the last thing you ever do. Now to approach one you slowly walk up to it from the front and look it in the eye and then bow to it. If it judges you worthy and bows back, you may approach and pet it. Anyone want to volunteer to give it a try?"

Everyone steps back leaving Harry and Hermione standing alone. They look back at the rest of the class and smile at each other thinking this should be fun. The class stepping back as one startled the hippogriff, getting Hagrid's attention, so he hadn't notice the action of the class. When he turned back around and saw Harry and Hermione all alone he smiled.

"Well done Harry and Hermione," he says," Which one of you wants to go first?"

Harry steps up and bows to Buckbeak while looking him in the eyes without blinking and after a few seconds Buckbeak bows back.

"Good Harry now you can go up and pet him," Hagrid says.

Harry walks up and pets Buckbeak, running his hand down his beak and feathers.

"_You are a very handsome hippogriff,"_ Harry sends.

"_Thank you Elder. Would you like to go flying?" _Buckbeak sends back.

"_May my life mate go as well,"_ Harry asks?

"_She may come,_" He sends while looking Hermione over.

Harry climbs up on the hippogriff's back, beckons Hermione over and after bowing to Buckbeak, she takes his hand and climbs on behind her husband. Buckbeak then takes a running start and launches into the air with a mighty flap of his wings. They gain altitude and soar high over the castle and then dive down to just above the lake where Buckbeak drags his front talons in the water. After a few more turns around the grounds he flies back to the class where he lands and walks to the front lowering his front legs so they can get off.

Harry and Hermione dismount and walk to the front where they bow to Buckbeak and send_," Thank you for the ride. It was most enjoyable." _

"_You are welcome Elders, I enjoyed your company as well," _he sends while bowing back.

"Now that is the proper way to treat a hippogriff," Hagrid says," Ten points to Hufflepuff. Everyone line up and you'll each get a turn."

The class claps and Hagrid leads a few more hippogriffs out to get more of the students involved. Harry and Hermione separate to help the students with Hermione drifting toward the Slytherin students to keep an eye on them for trouble. There were still a few of them that followed in their father's footsteps and were Death Eater wannabe's. Marcus Flint was one of them and had disillusioned himself in order to sneak down to see what he could do to disrupt the class. When he saw the hippogriffs, he thought he had the perfect plan to get rid of one of the Potters. He and Theodor Knott, along with a few other Slytherins, stayed inside when the Potters ordered everyone outside to witness them dealing with the Dementors. Theodor had shown Marcus a letter from his father and the pair didn't believe what their classmates told them about how the Potters had dealt with the Dementors. After all, people don't fly without brooms and they don't shoot spells from their eyes. As he was sneaking down toward the class, Hermione was helping the Slytherins get lined up and coaching them to not be afraid to approach the hippogriffs. As Flint got into position, Hermione was coaching Daphne Greengrass as her turn was next.

Flint points his wand at the hippogriff in front of Daphne and says," Imperio."

The animals eyes glaze over and he continues," attack the girl with the bushy hair and fly her very high up and drop her. Then fold your wings and fall to the ground."

Hermione noticed the change in the hippogriff right away and jumped in front of Daphne thinking it was going to attack her for some reason. The hippogriff reared back on its hind legs and charged. Hermione automatically covered Daphne with her body as the hippogriff brought her talons down onto Hermione, scratching Daphne in the process while picking her up and taking off into the sky.

Harry was on the other side of the group and didn't see what happened when he heard a scream and looked over to where Hermione was supposed to be and saw Daphne on the ground bleeding and Hermione gone. He ran over to the crying girl and saw her arm with a big gouge on it and blood everywhere.

"Hold still Ms. Greengrass," Harry says.

He puts his hand on her wound and with a soft glow it heals completely.

"Where's Hermione," he asks?

She looks at her arm and says, "Thanks," then points up.

Harry stands up and notices everyone looking up so he looks up and sees the hippogriff carrying her higher and higher.

"_Are you alright?"_ Harry sends.

"_Yes Harry, I'm just waiting for her to release me. She was imperiused and is not herself,"_ she sends back.

"_Okay, I'll keep an eye on things here,"_ he sends back.

The other hippogriffs sense what is happening and take flight as well to help protect the Elder. They fly up and start circling the pair in order to catch her when she falls. When the hippogriff reached about three hundred feet she let go of Hermione and then folded her wings and started falling towards the ground.

Everyone screamed when the hippogriff let go of Hermione and Flint smiled when he thought his plan was working. He lost his smile though when she didn't fall and just hovered there in front of the hippogriff. When the animal folded its wings and started to fall, Hermione held out her hands and a shimmering bubble formed around the hippogriff allowing her to slowly descend toward the ground with the hippogriff inside the bubble. As she landed the class was cheering and clapping while looking at Hermione in awe. The other hippogriffs landed and made a semicircle around the pair watching what she would do next. Hermione put her hand on the hippogriffs head between its eyes and closed her eyes. Her hand glowed momentarily as she removed the curse from the hippogriff. The hippogriff opened its eyes and shook its head and looked at Hermione.

It then nuzzled her affectionately and sent_," Thank you Elder. My name is Redwing. I am the leader of our flight and will always be here if you need us."_

"_You're welcome Redwing,"_ Hermione sends_," If your flight is ever in any trouble you can come to Harry and me and we will be glad to help out as well."_

All of the hippogriffs bow as one to Hermione and she bows back.

Hagrid rushes over and says," Are you alright Hermione?" while checking her over for injuries.

"I'm fine Hagrid," she says, "I would like to introduce you to Redwing. She is the leader of this flight of hippogriffs. She is very intelligent and likes you very much."

Hagrid looks at her in surprise," you can talk to them?"

She nods and he looks over at Redwing and takes his hat off and bows to her," Glad to make your acquaintance Redwing. You have the finest flight of hippogriffs I have ever worked with."

She bowed back and snorted, which was her form of amusement, as the girls in the class tittered at Hagrid's behavior.

Meanwhile Harry had been keeping an eye out on their surroundings as he sensed someone close by watching. As Flint moved to return to the castle Harry spotted the shimmering effect of a disillusioned person, caused when moving, and was on him in a flash. He cast a stunning spell and with a thud Flint fell over and reappeared. He then summons his wand and places it in his robes for safekeeping.

"I think we found our culprit," Harry says," Let's get him to the Headmaster."

"I'm here Mr. Potter," the Headmaster says, keeping it formal, as he walks toward them," I saw the hippogriffs flying with Mrs. Potter. I take it she is alright?"

"I'm fine Headmaster," Hermione answers," however; I am concerned that this could have been one of the other students. If Harry and I hadn't been here the incident could have been much worse."

"I agree. Let's take this to my office," the Headmaster says.

Harry revives Flint and the Potters each take an arm to escort him to the Headmaster's office. Flint tries to struggle but finds he can't break the iron grip of the Potters.

When they arrive the Headmaster places a call to DMLE and Madam Bones answers.

"Could you please step through Madam and bring a couple of your most trusted Aurors with you? We have a case of attempted murder," the Headmaster states.

She looks at him in surprise and says," Be right there Albus."

After a short wait, she steps through with two Aurors. When she sees the Potters she bows and says," Good morning majesties. May I introduce my two most trusted Aurors: Kingsley Shacklebolt and D…"

"Dora," Harry and Hermione say together, while rushing over to give her a hug, "How are you cousin?"

Dora laughs and says," I'm doing well actually. Youngest ever to graduate from the academy; and the fastest as well."

Shacklebolt says," She is very good. This is part of her field training and she is my partner."

Harry shakes Shack's hand and says," She's a good person. She was very studious when she was here in our first year. Now back to the business at hand."

Amelia takes over in her official capacity and says," What happened, Albus?"

"Apparently, Mr. Flint tried to murder the Queen by using the Imperius curse on a hippogriff, which then proceeded to carry her up to a great height and drop her. Luckily there is more to the Queen than what she appears to be. She was able to hover when the hippogriff let go and even saved the creature when it folded its wings and started falling in an apparent attempt to kill itself," The Headmaster says.

She raises an eyebrow at the word hover and looks at the Potters.

"We can fly without a broom," Harry says.

Flint, not the brightest candle in the room, squawked and says," What do you mean Queen; she is nothing but a mud-blood. Nobody would miss her. She doesn't have a place in our world."

Harry and Hermione look over at him and allow their true power to show though. Their eyes take on a fierce white glow and a sword and scabbard appear on Harry's waist. There is an ethereal wind swirling around in the room. He draws the sword and puts the tip of it under Flint's chin.

"What does it say on the sword," Harry asks in a very menacing voice?

Flint looks down at the blade and reads the inscription and shakily says," Excalibur."

"My true name is Harry James Pendragon and the person you tried to kill is Hermione Jane Pendragon. We are the magical King and Queen of the British Commonwealth. I could run you through with this sword and be done with it, but I don't want to spoil the Headmaster's fine office with your dirty inbred blood. I will let the DMLE deal with you instead," Harry says.

Harry and Hermione let their power return to normal levels and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Harry sheathes his sword and it disappears again; to reappear when needed. He turns to the adults in the room and says," He all yours. Here is his wand Headmaster."

The Headmaster stands up and says formally," Marcus Flint, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As a person of age you will be tried as an adult for the attempted murder of a fellow student. You may have him now Amelia. Here is his wand for evidence. I believe you will find the imperius curse to be the last spell cast."

Amelia looks to her Aurors and says," Take him to a holding cell pending trial."

Dora, who's pink hair had turned a flaming red when she heard the charges, slapped a port key on him and was gone in a flash.

"I hope she doesn't rough him up too much." Kingsley says," He still needs to stand trial."

"She's very professional, "Amelia says," He'll be alive when his trial comes."

Her and Shack bow to the Potters and exit the office though the floo.

"More pureblood stupidity," Hermione says," It's too bad it had to come to this."

"Yes it is," Albus says," I'll make an announcement at dinner. Maybe the rest of the students will see the consequences of his actions and learn from it."

The rest of the day went smoothly as far as lessons go. Of course there were all kinds of rumors going around about what happened this morning. There was a general announcement earlier in the day that everyone was required to attend dinner for an important statement to be given by the Headmaster. As evening approached, everyone was making their way down to the Great Hall for dinner while speculating on what the statement would be. Everyone had heard about Flint being taken to the Headmaster's office but didn't know what happened while he was there. Some of the students that knew him noticed he wasn't sitting at the Slytherin table with his year mates. Theodor Knott was starting to get nervous. The letter in his pocket was making him feel like he had to do something.

After a full dinner everyone looked to the head table expectantly. Noticing the somber look on the Headmaster's face they knew it had to be bad. Headmaster Dumbledore walked to the podium and after adjusting for his height so everyone could see and hear him he cleared his throat.

"Attention everyone. I have some unpleasant news to tell you. Earlier today, during Care of Magical Creatures class, Marcus Flint decided to try and murder one of our students," he says.

Gasps could be heard around the hall.

The Headmaster clears his throat and takes a sip of water, then continues," Mrs. Potter was grabbed by one of the hippogriffs and flown to a great height were she was let go in hope she would fall to her death. Mr. Flint used the imperius curse on the hippogriff to accomplish this causing Ms. Greengrass to be injured as well but was healed by Mr. Potter. Mr. Flint has been expelled from Hogwarts and is awaiting trial. If this had been anyone else he might have succeeded and if he is found guilty, Mr. Flint could be sentenced to death or to life in Azkaban. This is the consequence for using your wand for unlawful purposes. Mr. Flint is only seventeen years old and his life is over along with any dreams he might have had for the future. I hope this will be a lesson to you all on what happens when bad decisions of this type are made. Dinner is finished so you may be excused to go to your dorms for the evening."

He turned to go back to his seat and noticed no had had moved but were looking at a single girl who had her hand up.

"Yes, Ms. Carmichael," he asked?

"When you said if it would have been anyone else except Hermione, "she asked," what did you mean?"

He looks over at the Potters and gets a nod from them and says," Harry and Hermione Potter are Elders. They have special powers not related to magic, like the ability to fly without a broom. Most of you saw that on sorting day."

Harry and Hermione had been watching the students in the Great Hall for their reactions to the news and noticed Theodor Knott was fidgety and sweating. They look at each other and nod, then get up from their table and walk to the Headmaster and whisper in his ear.

"Headmaster, we think Knott knows something." Hermione whispers, "We have been watching the students and he is the only one that is nervous and twitchy. We will give a demonstration of our flying and see if we can draw him out."

"Very well," the Headmaster says and turns to Ms. Carmichael," The Potters have agreed show how she survived."

Harry and Hermione turn to the students and slowly start to rise up towards the rafters.

Hermione says," this is how I kept from falling. Harry and I have the ability to fly and I surrounded Redwings with a null gravity field in order to keep her from getting hurt."

The students didn't understand what a null gravity field was but understood the flying part well enough and they all nodded satisfied with her answer. As the Potters floated there the compulsion charm on Knott's letter became too much for him and he stood up while pointing his wand at Hermione and shouted," STUPID MUD-BLOOD, DIFFENDO."

Hermione lifted her hand up and caught the spell, letting it hover in front of her. This of course got the full attention of the student body.

"This is the second time someone has tried that on me," she says, "it didn't work for him either."

She looks at Knott and gestures with her other hand and he lifts off the floor and floats up to her.

"Check his pockets Harry, I sense something in them that's driving him to do this," she says.

Harry checks Knott's pockets and pulls out a letter. Detecting the compulsion charm on the letter, he floats down to the Headmaster and hands him the letter. The Headmaster recognizes the charm and is able to cancel it with his magic being stronger. As soon as the charm is cancelled Knott sags and starts crying.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Potter. I tried to resist it but it was too much for me," he cried.

"That's okay Theodor; you are not the first student this has happened to. Did you show this letter to Flint when you got it?" she asked.

"Yes, I may not like you, but I would never want to murder you." He responded.

She let him back down and Professor Snape took him to the hospital wing to get checked over. Hermione flicks her wrist and the spell which everyone had their eyes glued to dissipated.

She and Harry float back down to the Headmaster to talk about what to do next. Professor Dumbledore dismisses the students back to their dorms while The Potters and the rest of the council head the Headmaster's office. Once they arrive in the Headmaster's office he floo calls Madam Pomphrey to check on her patient.

"How's Mr. Knott doing," he asks.

"He is doing well. There were no side effects to the compulsion charm. I gave him a dreamless sleep potion to help him rest tonight and will release him in the morning," she responds.

"Very well. Have Professor Snape come to my office please," Albus says.

"He is already on his way and should be there shortly," Madam Pomphrey says.

"Thank you," Albus says and then pulls his head out of the fire.

When Professor Snape arrives at the office the meeting begins.

Harry has a question," Grandpa, "he says," would the compulsion charm on the letter affect Mr. Flint after he got away from it? Why weren't the other students around Theodor affected?"

"It appears that it would only affect you if you read the letter. Mr. Knott apparently showed the letter to Mr. Flint since he didn't have the means to carry out his father's wishes by himself," Albus says," it also appears that Mr. Knott's heart wasn't really into following his father's orders."

"He told me was sorry and was trying real hard to fight the compulsion." Hermione says," He even apologized, saying that even though he didn't like me, he would never condone murder. He still thinks I'm a mud-blood. I will have to show him my rings, I suppose, to convince him otherwise. It looks like he still believes the tripe his father is sprouting. I wonder if a visit from us as Elders would be in order."

"Possibly," Professor Snape says," Most purebloods only understand and respect power. That's why they followed Voldemort. He had more power than anyone and spouted the pureblood dogma they wanted to hear."

"That's the plan then," Harry says," We'll talk to Theodor tomorrow and visit his dad tomorrow evening."

They wrap up the meeting and retire for the night.

The next morning Harry and Hermione head up to the hospital wing before breakfast to talk to Theodor Knott. As they arrived Madam Pomphrey pointed out the bed he was in. They walked over to stand on either side of his bed and shook him awake.

"Wake up Theodor," Harry says," We need to talk to you for a bit."

"Yea? What do you want," He asks snidely.

Hermione holds out her rings for him to see," See these rings," she asks?

He looks at them and his eyes get wide when he recognizes Slytherin's ring.

"That can't be," he whispers," my dad says you are nothing but a mud-blood and not worthy to learn magic."

"The rings are real. I am the direct heir to Salazar Slytherin through my father's side of the family," she says. "The magic skipped a few generations for some reason."

"We want you to do something for us," Harry says," your fathers letter got a student expelled from school and a possible death sentence. You almost got expelled as well."

"Anything," he says.

"We want you to send a letter to your father." Hermione says," Tell him you failed and the Elders are coming."

"He won't be alone," Theodor says," he'll gather all of his Death Eater friends."

"It won't matter," Hermione says," that's what we are counting on."

A couple of hours later a school owl finds Mr. Knott in a meeting with his fellow pureblood proponents.

"Oh good, this should be an answer from my son on his success at getting rid of the Potter mud-blood." Mr. Knott says.

He opens the letter and reads it several times trying to decipher the meaning while scowling and getting more upset.

"Well, what does it say Ted." Mr. Flint asks," My son was arrested on some trumped up charges yesterday that he tried to kill the mud-blood and failed."

He frowns and says," He failed to follow through with my commands. It also says something I don't understand."

He hands the letter to Mr. Flint, who reads it to the group," It says and I quote: 'Father I failed in the task you set for me and I was told to tell you the Elders are coming.'"

"What does it mean the Elders are coming," Mr. Flint asked?

One of the other members of the group says," There have been rumors floating around that there are two Elders at the school. I assure you the Elders are just a legend and nothing else. I couldn't find any specific information about the legend so I don't think we have anything to worry about. We will all be with you for the rest of the day to back you up if someone does come calling."

"I have the best wards money can buy laid over the top of the family wards." Mr. Knott says confidently," I don't think anything will get through but I thank you for the help. Everyone get some rest in case we need it for later."

They all retire to spare rooms in the manor and lay down for naps so they will be ready for an all-nighter if needed.

Meanwhile at Hogwarts, the day is going smoothly with no further incidents and after a pleasant evening meal the Potters approach the Slytherin table.

"Mr. Knott, would you come with us please," Hermione asks?

He gets up from the table and follows them up to the head table where the potters speak to Professor Snape.

"Professor," Harry says," we are going on another mission and we need the location of Mr. Knott's manor. We will be going as ourselves this time and we promise no harm will come from us to anyone there. Can you contact Madam Bones and have her meet us there as a witness? She can bring whomever she wants. We will wait for her appearance before we take action."

Professor Snape turns to Theodor and says," It will be alright. If Harry and Hermione say they will not harm anyone intentionally they will keep their word. Just look into Harry's eyes and think about where you live and he will get your location."

Theodor looks at Harry and says," Please protect my mother and my little sister. My father keeps them isolated at the back of the manor."

"You have my word," Harry says.

With that Theodor looks in Harry's eyes and thinks about his home.

"Got it," Harry says," Thanks, and don't worry everything will work out."

"Good luck Elders," Theodor says as he walks back to his table. He turns around and sees Harry and Hermione disappear from the Great Hall to the gasp of many of the students who were watching the exchange.

Professor Snape makes his way quickly to the nearest floo to contact Amelia Bones and tell her what is going on.

The Potters appear near a very nice manor house and study the wards while waiting on Madam Bones.

"Looks like Malfoy Manor all over again," Harry says.

"I think we will announce ourselves loud and clear by taking down the wards. I sense about a dozen people in the building with most of them gathered near the front of the manor. A couple of others are patrolling around the building," Hermione says.

A few minutes later Madam Bones and about a dozen Aurors portkey in behind them.

She walks up to them and asks," What's going on? Professor Snape said you were going to raid Knott's manor."

"Yes we are. He sent his son a letter that had compulsion charms on it that made anyone who read it want to attempt to kill Hermione. His son showed the letter to Flint who tried to follow up on it. Yesterday, Theodor tried to resist the letter but finally succumbed and fired a cutting curse at Hermione during a demonstration we were giving. We detected the letter and gave it to Professor Dumbledore who removed the charms. Everyone in the Great Hall witnessed the whole thing." Harry says," I need you and your group for witnesses to our actions tonight. There are a dozen former Death Eaters and sympathizers in the manor. Please stand back and we will take the wards down and let you know when it is safe to enter."

One of the Aurors scoffs and says," We are supposed to stand here and watch two kids take down the wards and contain a dozen Death Eaters. They will be killed the second they touch the wards."

Hermione turns to the disbelieving Auror and says," We will not be harmed, but we need witnesses to this action. That is why you are here. No other reason. We could have done this ourselves. Now move back and watch."

"Yes majesty," Madam Bones says and motions her Aurors back to a safe distance.

Harry and Hermione look at each other," Let's do this."

They walk up together to the edge of the wards and reach out their hands and come into contact with the wards. There is a shimmering dome effect over the property that becomes quite bright as the wards go from orange to red. There is a loud noise inside the manor as the ward stone explodes and the red dome winks out.

The aurors look on in astonishment. The whole process took less than a minute.

The Potters look back at the Aurors and say," Stay here and keep anyone from sneaking away. We will handle the rest."

They phase out and reappear in front of the main doors to the manor where they proceed to blast it into splinters with a wave of their hands.

Earlier:

One of the guards came running in and reported seeing a flash like a portkey would make.

"Okay men, this is it. Looks like we are going to have company after all. It should take them a while to get past the wards, so everyone take their places and we will ambush them when they try to enter," Mr. Knott says.

As soon as he finished speaking, the alarms went off and the ward stone exploded in the ward room a few seconds later.

"I thought it would take a while to get through the wards," Flint says.

"I did too," Knott says as the door explodes into a million splinters.

In walk a pair of thirteen year old kids with glowing eyes.

"It's the mud-blood and her so called husband. Fire," Knott calls out.

From outside, the law enforcement group watched as Harry and Hermione made everything look easy. The door exploded into splinters and they all witnessed over a dozen different curses fly towards the Potters, including several killing curses and cutting hexes. The pair just raise their hands, stopping the curses in mid-air and with another wave the assailants are frozen and their wands are summoned.

With the spells hovering in front of them the Potters look at each other and Hermione asks with a yawn," What do you want to do with all this energy Harry? I don't want to release it in here. It might damage this fine Manor and then Theodor wouldn't have anywhere to live."

"Let's just absorb it and be done with it," Harry says.

They turn toward each other and push the multicolored balls of magical energy into each other until they are gone. The group of Death Eaters couldn't believe their eyes. The legend of the Elders was proven true tonight.

The Aurors captured the other guard and Amelia Bones had snuck up to the manor. While looking through a window, she witnessed the whole light show.

"Come in Amelia, it is safe now. You might want to bring the others as well." Harry says.

She enters through the shattered door and stands by the Potters and motions the Aurors to come in with their prisoner.

"What next, majesty," she asks?

"Here are their wands Amelia," He says while handing over their wands," I'm going to say a few things and then let you handle this group as you see fit according to the law of the land. Some of the curses fired were of the unforgivable type."

She takes the wands and puts them in an evidence bag.

Harry looks at Hermione and says," Why don't you go and bring Mrs. Knott and her daughter out so they can also witness what is going on. They need to understand actions have consequences as well. I'll wait for you before I get started."

"Okay Harry," She says.

She walks to the back of the manor, letting her senses guide her till she comes to a door to the room the two ladies are hiding in.

She knocks and opens the door breaking the lock in the process," Please come with me." she says," No harm will befall you."

The ladies look at the shattered lock and decide to cooperate by following her back to the main room. When they arrive, Hermione goes back to her husband's side and the two ladies are directed to stand by Madam Bones. Harry wiggles one of his fingers freeing the heads of the prisoners so they can speak.

Mr. Knott immediately speaks up," What's the meaning of this? How dare you break into our home, terrifying my family!"

"That's a fair question Mr. Knott. I assure you I have as good a reason as you have for gathering all your Death Eater friends after my warning." Harry says, and then looks over the group held in stasis," Is there a Mr. Flint here?"

"I'm Flint," Mr. Flint answers," What do you want?"

"As you are aware, your son was arrested for attempted murder two days ago. He performed an imperius curse on one of the hippogriffs we were studying. While using an unforgivable on an animal is not against the law, what he instructed the creature to do is. The hippogriff was instructed to grab my wife and carry her high in the sky and release her to fall to her death. If she had been an ordinary student the act would have succeeded and your son would probably be facing a death sentence. What you probably don't know is why he did it instead of Theodor. I assume you all know of the letter sent by Mr. Knott to his son instructing him to quote: 'get rid of the mud-blood Potter girl', end quote."

They all nod indicating they knew about the letter.

"What disgusts me the most about you people is that you condone the murder of children." Harry says.

"Now, back to the letter Mr. Flint," Harry says," The letter had compulsion charms on it that made anyone who read the letter want to attempt to murder my wife. Theodor showed it to your son as he is only a third year and wanted advice on what to do with such an obviously ludicrous thing to ask a thirteen year old child to do. I would like to believe your son would have told Theodor to ignore the letter or show it to someone in authority, which would have been the right thing to do. However, due to the compulsion charm, he has found himself in jail awaiting trial for something he wouldn't have done on his own. We found the letter when Theodor tried to send a cutting curse at my wife in front of the whole student body in the Great Hall. I commend him for being able to resist the compulsion most of the day until it became too much for him to overcome."

Mrs. Knott gasped after hearing this and says," How could you Ted? Mr. Flint's son and now my Theodor are in trouble because of your stupidity. I'm going to talk to my parents about annulling this marriage. I want nothing more to do with your Pureblood idiocy."

Harry looks over the group and asks," All of you are from proud pureblood families, are you not?"

They all nod and would have stood up straighter if they could have.

"There is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage. Hermione and I are very proud of ours. I am heir to Helga Hufflepuff and Godrick Gryffindor while my wife is heir to Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw," they show their rings as proof," We own Hogwarts and are trying to teach the children that blood is not what makes your families great. It is the accomplishments that you make in life that define who you are. Marrying cousins to keep your blood pure is doing nothing but poisoning your bloodline and restricting the number of children you can have. Mr. Knott, you are one of the few who have more than one child. Most of the others can't have more than one because of the inbreeding and even then their magic is inferior to the halfblood and muggleborn children because it takes their cores longer to stabilize. For those of you who allowed yourself to be branded like cattle by your so called dark lord should know his real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle and he is a halfblood. His mother was a witch and his father was a muggle. He cares nothing about your wellbeing and will use you to get what he wants. The brand on your arms is a way for him to tap into your magic to enhance his own and if he dies then you will too. Hermione and I will try to capture him and place him in stasis to spare your lives when he returns. If any of you want to have the brand removed and truly repent your ways, come to Hogwarts. If you can get through the wards we will remove the brand from your arm. In the meantime my advice is to live your lives by your name and what you can accomplish. Not by whether or not your blood is pure. However, you will have to deal with Madam Bones first."

Harry finishes his speech and turns to Madam Bones," They are all yours Madam Director. Hermione and I are going back to the school. It's been a long day."

"Thank you Majesty," She says," If you would release them please, we'll take it from here."

Harry waves his hand, releasing them from stasis and then he and Hermione disappear, phasing back to Hogwarts to the astonishment of everyone there.

"Why do you keep calling him majesty," one of the Aurors asks?

"Harry and Hermione are the magical King and Queen of the British Commonwealth. Their real last name is Pendragon." She says," They have been recognized by the muggle Queen as her equal in the magical world."

This surprises the group of purebloods who then realize the amount of trouble they are really in.

Harry and Hermione phase back in to the Great Hall where they find the council and Theodor Knott waiting for them.

"How did the raid go Harry," Albus asks?

"It went fine," Harry says," No one got hurt and Madam Bones has the situation under control."

Hermione turns to Theodor and says," You mother and sister is safe. Your mother mentioned getting her marriage annulled since your father tried to get you to do something despicable. You should be safe from your father's influence for a while as I'm sure he is going to spend some time in Azkaban for starting this whole fiasco. You are not in any trouble. It is unfortunate that your friend Marcus got caught up in this. You can go to your dorm now with a clear conscience."

"Thank you Elder. I will pass the word that you and your husband are honorable people," Theodor says, then walks out of the Great Hall to go back to his dorm for the night. After he leaves the council and the Potters move to the Headmaster's office.

"I'm sorry Grandpa; you might be a bit busy the next few weeks. There were a dozen Death Eaters at the manor and we captured them all. They will need trials to determine whether or not they are truly guilty of any infractions or if they were just helping a friend defend his property from a perceived threat. Mr. Knott is definitely guilty of starting this whole thing with that letter but the others may have been dragged into this by him." Harry apologizes.

"That's okay Harry," Albus says," We may be able to get some of the more radical purebloods off the streets for a while sending a message to the others."

With that being said the meeting broke up with everyone returning to their respective rooms for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 28 **A Boggert, Hogsmeade, an Intruder and Halloween

It had been an eventful first week at school with the Dementors and the incident with the hippogriffs. The study group enjoyed the DADA class with Professor Lupin as they were studying dangerous magical animals such as grindylows, which looked like an octopus with arms and a head with a mouth full of sharp teeth. This time when they got to class there was a rather tall wardrobe standing against one of the classroom walls. It made a rattling noise, causing the class to look at it with trepidation. Professor Lupin walks up to the cabinet slaps the side causing the class to jump and some of the girls screamed. He looked at the class menacingly and then laughed and said:

"There is nothing to be afraid of. What we have in the cabinet here is a Boggart. Does anyone know what a Boggart is?" he asks.

Several students raised their hands with Hermione being one of them. The Professor looks around the room and finally decides to pick Hermione.

"Yes Mrs. Potter," he asks?

"A Boggart is a shape shifter and will take on the form of a person's greatest fear," she answers.

"That is correct. Five points to Hufflepuff," the Professor says," A Bogart likes to live in dark places and no one knows what it's true form is. It won't take a form until someone comes near enough for it to pick up on that person's fears. Then it will take on the shape and jump out at the victim trying to scare them. There is a charm that will repel them but the only thing that will defeat a Boggart is laughter. The incantation for the charm is Riddikulus. Everyone, repeat after me; **Riddikulus**."

"Riddikulus," the class said together.

"Good, now if everyone will line up, each of you will get a chance try out the charm. What you need to do, once it appears, is try to think of something funny to change your fear into. For instance, if your fear is of mice, think of turning it into a cute kitten, then point your wand at the Boggart and say the charm forcefully, while thinking of the form you want it to turn into." He lectures.

Several students went up and the Boggart turned into various forms for each student and was repelled by the charm and the laughter of the students. Soon it was Hermione's turn and Professor Lupin was curious about what would frighten her or Harry. When he opened the door to the wardrobe nothing happened. Everyone looked into the cabinet and all they saw was a dark gray formless mist swirling around within. The same thing happened when Harry tried. Professor Lupin closed the wardrobe and scratched his head.

"I think we are the first people to see the true form of a Boggart. Either the Potter's are fearless or the Boggart could not pick anything up from them," the professor says.

"We're not really afraid of anything," Hermione says," we do worry about our family's safety sometimes but we know they are well protected so we are not afraid for them. I guess the Boggart couldn't pick up anything from us. Now that we know what a Boggarts true form is, there is no reason to be afraid of one. If you're not afraid, it can't harm you."

Everyone got points for their house that day for being able to repel the Boggart while Harry and Hermione got credit for discovering its true form.

After the class was dismissed, word spread about the discovery but no one else was able to get the Boggart to stay a mist, not even Professor Dumbledore.

Later that evening the study group was in the library when Ron joined them with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong Ron," Hermione asked?

"You know I take Divination, right," he asks?

"Yes, Harry and I declined the class because we know we have no talent for it," Hermione says.

"I remember you saying that." He says," Today were learning to read tea leaves and when my turn came Ms. Trelawney looked into my cup and backed away real scared like. I asked her what was wrong and she just said: 'the Grim is in my future'"

"What's The Grim," someone asks?

"It's a magical dog like animal that portends death." Harry answers," If she read those tea leaves correctly then there is a chance we will meet a dog like creature in the near future. Whether it portends death or not is something we will have to wait and see. We have a Hogsmeade weekend coming up, so everyone stick together and you should be safe. Hermione and I will patrol the area and keep an eye out for trouble."

"Thanks Harry. I will definitely stick with the group this weekend," Ron says.

Everyone nods at that statement then goes back to their studies.

The rest of the week of classes went well and when the weekend came, everyone was ready for a break. For third years and above, that meant a trip to Hogsmeade. The study group all gathered near the carriages for the trip.

"Alright everyone," Harry says," stay in at least groups of three or more for safety. Hermione and I will patrol the town looking for trouble. Hopefully there won't be any and we can all have a good time. We will meet you at the Three Broomsticks after our patrol."

Everyone got in line to be cleared by Mr. Filch, with Harry and Hermione last.

As they approached him they noticed he was being very pleasant to the students, a noticeable improvement from when they first arrived at the school.

"How has your day been, Mr. Filch," Harry asks pleasantly?

"It's been going well. In fact, my job has improved tremendously since you two arrived," He says.

"When is the last time you received an increase in your salary?" Hermione asks, catching on to what Harry had in mind.

"Not since before you took over the school, Elders," he answers while frowning in thought.

"In that case, you are long overdue. I've been observing you and you are one of the hardest workers here," Harry says," How does a fifty percent increase sound to you sir?"

"Wonderful," Filch answers happily.

"Very well, look for it on your next pay voucher," Harry says.

"Thank you Elder," he says," have a pleasant day out."

They dissolution themselves and take off into the air for their patrol of the town. As they were flying along slowly Hermione says," That was a nice thing to do for Mr. Filch, Harry," she says.

"He works pretty hard every day and he deserves it," Harry says," Besides, happy workers are good workers, and well paid workers make for good employees."

She agreed and they resumed their patrol. They noticed several stray animals with a few black dogs mixed in, but no sign of Sirius Black. They landed in an alley and reappeared before walking out hand in hand to stroll around the town. They made stops in Honeydukes , for some chocolate, and Scrivenshafts Quills for a resupply of quills and parchment. They met up with the group at The Three Broomsticks for lunch and had a good meal with their friends. After lunch the group decided to head over to Zonko's and then on to the bookshop.

Ron had decided to bring Scabbers along to give him some fresh air and get him out of the castle for the day. Scabbers enjoyed riding on Ron's shoulder and liked the scraps he was fed at lunch. Unbeknownst to the pair, a black dog was hiding in the shadows of a building watching them. The dog noticed the Slytherin colors of his robes and wondered how that happened. It would be hard to get into Slytherin with Snape there, so he decided to bid his time and try in the early morning hours when everyone was asleep.

A few weeks passed with no incidents and everything running smoothly. Meanwhile Sirius was scouting the castle at night to learn where the Slytherin common room was located and to get the password to get in. He eventually got the information he needed and no one noticed the black dog hiding in the shadows near the entrance to Slytherin's common room. He overheard the password and decided he would try tonight to make his move.

Around four thirty am Sirius Black went up to the door and whispered the password and the door opened to let him in. As soon as he got inside he changed back into his dog form and snuck his way to the third year dorms. He used his sense of smell to find Ron's bed and stuck his head through the curtains. As soon as he saw Scabbers asleep on Ron's pillow he started to growl and bared his teeth. Scabbers woke up first and when he saw the dog he started squealing which woke up Ron up who started to yell and back away from the dog. The rat took off running with the dog right on its tail. Of course this made a lot of noise and woke up the rest of the house who came running into the common room just in time to see a black dog run out the door and disappear. Hogwarts alerted Harry and Hermione who quickly dressed and phased into the Slytherin common room startling a lot of people.

"What's happened," Harry asks, taking control.

Ron answers," I was asleep in my bed and was awoken by Scabbers squealing in my ear when I saw a large black dog looking right at me and growling. I yelled and backed away from it but the dog didn't seem interested in me because it started chasing after Scabbers. They both ran out the door and now I can't find Scabbers. Do you thing the dog got him?"

"I don't know Ron. We'll find him, don't worry." Hermione says.

"Hogwarts has told me that the dog has made it past the wards," Harry says," Everyone can go back to bed now. I will ward the door against any more intruders."

The next morning the council met in the Headmaster's office.

"We had an unexpected visitor last night," Albus says by way of opening the meeting.

"Yes, Ron Weasley reported that a black dog entered his dorm and woke him up," Harry says," apparently it was after his pet rat Scabbers."

"What would a dog want with a rat Grandpa" Hermione asks?

"That's a good question. As many rats as there are around here why would it specifically go after Mr. Weasley's pet?" he contemplated out loud.

"Is Sirius Black and animagus, Albus?" Minerva asks," It would explain a lot if he is. It would explain how he escaped from Azkaban."

"I'm not sure Minerva. He kept it a secret from me if he is," Albus answers. He then noticed a faraway look in Harry's eyes.

"What is it Harry," Albus asks?

"I seem to remember riding on the back of a big black dog when I was little. Sirius Black is my godfather, so I know he wouldn't try to hurt me as his magic would prevent that; but he wasn't after me like everyone thinks. He was after Scabbers which means there has to be a reason. He also can't get through the wards if he has ill intent towards any of the students. There is something about Ron's pet we need to figure out," Harry says.

"We will have to find him first," Hermione says," In this place it could take months if he doesn't want to be found."

"All we can do is keep an eye out and stay alert," Albus says," If the rat is an animagus too, we mustn't let on that we suspect anything."

They all agreed and left to go to the breakfast table before starting their day.

Later that evening the study group met in the library to do their homework together. Ron walks in and sits down and gets his books out to study.

"Has Scabbers returned yet Ron," Hermione asks?

"No, I can't find him anywhere," Ron complains.

"Ron, I need to say something you may not want to hear, but let me ask you a question first that might make it easier," Hermione says.

"Go on," Ron says with trepidation.

"How long has Scabbers been in your family? I understand you got him from Percy," She asks.

Ron thinks a bit and counts on his fingers.

"About twelve years," he says," Percy found him in the garden when I was little."

"Most common rats only live two to three years. There are some species that might live up to eight years but they are usually larger than Scabbers," Hermione says while everyone else is listening in.

"So? What does that mean, Hermione," Ron asks?

"Here is mine and Harry's theory." she says," When the dog got into your room he wasn't interested in you. He went straight for Scabbers right?"

Ron nods his head yes.

"We think the dog is probably an animagus, since dogs don't normally chase rats. They certainly don't wander into dorm rooms looking for a specific rat. We think that maybe Scabbers is an animagus as well. If this is true, then it seems likely the two know each other and are enemies." Hermione says," Question is, who are they really?"

Everyone shook their heads in contemplation and went back to their homework.

Harry had seen the Weasley twins consulting a large piece of parchment on several occasions when he was patrolling the corridors and had an idea what it was. Professor Lupin had told him about his Hogwarts days as a marauder and about how they would sneak around using the map and James invisibility cloak.

He and Hermione approach the twins and ask," Hi guys, may we have a minute of your time?"

They turn to Harry and bow saying," Lead on, oh illustrious leaders."

They lead them to an unused classroom where the couple walk over to the desk and sit on it facing the twins.

Harry crosses his arms and says," I understand you have my dad's map."

They look at each other and ask," What map would that be?"

"The Marauders Map," Harry says," my father was Prongs."

The twins gape at him in wonder and ask," Do you know who the rest of the Marauders were?"

"Yes. In fact, I can introduce one of them to you in exchange for the map," Harry says.

They look at each other deciding if they want to give up the map by having a conversation in their heads over the pros and cans of giving it up. After a minute of this George pulls the map from his pocket and hands it to Harry.

"Thanks George," he says while opening the map," I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry checks the map over and seeing it working normally says," mischief managed."

"Follow us boys and we will introduce you to someone. You have been taking class with him all year," Harry says.

"Lead on, oh great and noble leaders," Fred says.

"How did you know I was George," he asks?

Harry winks at Hermione and not wanting to tell them they could pick up their surface thoughts despite their occlumency shields, so he smiled at them and says," Well George, your freckle pattern is slightly different than Fred's. You have two extra freckles on the left side of your nose."

Hermione snickers at this and watches as Fred conjures a mirror while George starts counting freckles.

Harry just starts laughing and says," We're here."

They look up and notice where they are.

"What are we doing at Professor Lupin's office Harry," they ask together.

"You'll see," Harry and Hermione answer back in unison," It's a surprise."

"Look George," Fred says,

"They talk like us," George finishes.

Harry and Hermione look at each other and smirk.

"What do," Harry starts.

"You mean," Hermione says.

"We have," Harry continues.

"Always," Hermione says smiling.

"Been able," Harry says.

"To talk," Hermione says.

"Like this," Harry finishes with a big smile on his face.

Fred and George were looking back and forth between the two while they were talking and laughing in delight.

"I think we have been outdone, oh brother of mine," George says.

"I think you are right," Fred answers.

They enter the room after being invited in by Professor Lupin.

"What can I do for you Harry," he asks?

"I would like to introduce you to the current pranksters of Hogwarts, Uncle Mooney," Harry says," the brains of the Marauders."

"That would have been Lilly," Lupin says, groaning at the twins.

"You mean my mother was the brains behind the Marauders," Harry asks incredulously," Cooool."

Fred and George look at each other and get down on their knees saying," We are not worthy." Over and over while continuously bowing.

"Have fun guys," Hermione laughs as they leave the office.

"Now we have the means to monitor the castle more thoroughly," He says.

She nods her head and after a study session in the library, they head to their quarters where they spread the map out and activate it. Once activated, Harry conjures a panel on the wall and attaches the map to it.

He then taps a finger to the map and says," Remove all students, show only adults."

All the students disappear from the map leaving only the staff, except for one extra person who shouldn't be there.

Harry turns to Hermione," Do you see what I am seeing?"

She looks at the maps and says," Well, I see us still on there, and wait a minute; I thought he was supposed to be dead."

"I thought he was too," Harry says," I'm going to investigate."

He fades out and reappears on the seventh floor near where the map showed the intruder, but he couldn't find anyone there except Professor Lupin, who was patrolling the area.

"What are you doing up here," he asks?

"I acquired the Marauders map today and after we set it up in our room we eliminated the students from the map and noticed an intruder," Harry says," I came to investigate but only saw a family of rats scurrying along the corridor."

"What name did you see on the map," the professor asked?

"Peter Petigrew," Harry answered.

Professor Lupin turned pale and said," That's not possible. He's dead."

"That's what I thought as well, professor." Harry says," Would he, by chance, be a rat animagus?"

Professor Lupin nods and says," He was a rat animagus and his name was Wormtail."

"Do you know if Sirius Black is an animagus as well?" Harry asks," I have a reason for asking."

"Yes, he is a large black dog," the professor says.

"A few days ago a large black dog found its way into the Slytherin dorms and Ron Weasley's bed. It apparently was not interested in Mr. Weasley at all and was only after the rat," Harry says," we couldn't figure out how the dog got in at four in the morning without help so Hermione and I came up with the theory that the dog was an animagus and possibly the rat too. Ron said the rat had been a family pet for twelve years, a very long time for a common rat to live."

"If the map showed Peter on it then he is still alive and Sirius must be innocent," Professor Lupin says.

"That's what we think as well," Harry says.

"_Harry?"_ Hermione sends_," Petigrew is no longer on the map. He must be out of the castle by now. Please come and keep me company."_

"_Be right there love."_ Harry sends.

Harry looks at the professor and says," Hermione says Petigrew has left the castle for now. So we will wait and watch. Good night professor."

Professor Lupin watches as Harry fades out and whispers," Good night Harry."

Harry fades back in in their quarters and Hermione walks over to him and snuggles into him with a contented sigh. "Let's go to bed my husband, he will turn up again and then we will catch him."

"Good idea, my beautiful wife," Harry says.

They walk into their bedroom, change into their pajamas, then climb into bed and snuggle up together where they fall peacefully asleep.

Three weeks into October was another Hogsmeade weekend and after patrolling first the Potters were enjoying a slow stroll hand in hand around the town. While they were strolling they were being observed by a black dog hiding in the shadows of one of the buildings. The dog noticed the house colors the couple was wearing and was wondering why he hadn't seen them at quidditch games or flying around with the other students.

"_Perhaps they don't have brooms,"_ he thought_," the rat doesn't seem to be with them today."_

The dog moves off and continues scrounging for something to eat.

"Did you see that dog watching us?" Hermione asks.

"Yes, it did seem intent on us while ignoring the other students," Harry responded.

"I wonder if that was the same dog that was in the school earlier in the year?" She asks.

"I suppose it is possible, it looked quite ordinary to me," he says.

"That's another thing that has been bothering me. Dogs are color blind. How did the dog that got in, know which house the rat was in?" she asks thinking out loud.

"Scent, maybe, or it is definitely an animagus," Harry says," If that is the case, a name will show up on the map if it comes into the castle again."

"We will just have to keep an eye on the map then." she says," To change the subject, what do you want to do for Halloween?"

"I think I would like to honor my parents and then just spend a quiet day with you," Harry says, looking into her eyes.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Hermione says while snuggling tighter into Harry and laying her head on his shoulder. They continued their walk around the town for a while longer before heading back to the school.

Unfortunately Halloween wasn't to be as peaceful as they had hoped. When Harry and Hermione exited their rooms into the common room they spotted a crowd around a table that held two long packages.

"Hello everyone," Harry says," What's going on?"

"Someone left these packages for you and Hermione. They look like brooms from the shape," someone says.

"Best open them and see for sure," Hermione says.

Harry hands Hermione one then he opens the second one.

"Firebolts, someone sent us Firebolts," Hermione says in disbelief," Oh Harry, what are we going to do with brooms? We don't need them."

"Let's talk to Madam Hooch after breakfast and see what we can do," Harry says," Replacing the school brooms, is something we have neglected."

"Okay, let's just put them in our room for now until after breakfast," Hermione says.

After breakfast the couple walks up to the head table and approach Madam Hooch.

"May we talk to you in your office please?" Harry asks.

"Of course," She says," Come by whenever you are ready."

They go back to their room and retrieve the brooms and walk down to the pitch where Madam Hooch's office is located and knock on her door.

"Come in," she says.

The Potters enter and show her the brooms they received," We got these this morning. Apparently, they are a present from someone."

"Firebolts, you got two Firebolts for presents," she exclaims," I wish I had friends like yours."

"That's the problem, we don't need them as we don't need brooms to fly," Hermione says," What we want to know is if the school could use them. Is it safe to let the team seekers use Firebolts? What we are proposing is allowing each team to use brooms appropriate for their position. The school will provide them along with new training brooms for the beginners. We will let you decide what is appropriate for safety and purchase what is needed to equip every team equally."

"That's very generous of you sir, ma'am," She says," Brooms are expensive, especially Firebolts."

"We are striving to become the premier school of Magic in all of Europe and this is a good way to accomplish that," Hermione says," You're an ex professional quiddich player are you not?"

"Yes, I played for the Holyhead Harpies when I was younger," she responds.

"What I would like to propose is that in order to get on a team a flyer has to be competent on the broom for their position so we don't have any accidents by untrained students that aren't ready. Right now our system of picking students for teams is haphazard at best. I believe with the proper training we can provide the best quiddich players in Europe for the professional teams to recruit from," Hermione says," In the muggle world, schools have teams that play against other schools for district championships and go on to play regional tournaments. We could do something like that for British schools and go on to play other European schools to see who has the best team. We could have a match a week instead of just four matches for the whole year."

"That sounds like an interesting idea," Madam Hooch says," I will contact the other schools in Britain and see about setting it up."

"Great, get whatever equipment you need and set up a training schedule. You can also hire assistant coaches to help out. Harry and I will support you in whatever you need." Hermione says.

Madam Hooch was smiling real big now as she shook their hands. "You have injected some life back into this old quiddich player. I will get on it right away."

"Problem solved," Harry says as they walk back up to the school," you did good back there Hermione. Quiddich should get interesting by next year. We will have to come up with a mascot for Hogwarts now."

Hermione snuggles into Harry very pleased with herself and his comments as they make their way back to the school to pay homage to his parents and hopefully have a quiet rest of the day.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 29: An Interesting Christmas Holiday Part one

November came and went with no further sightings of the dog or rat. Soon it was December and everyone was getting into the Christmas spirit. Hagrid had set up his usual twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall and everyone pitched in to decorate the trees. A good time was had by all.

Harry and Hermione were looking forward to going home to be with their family and possibly even visiting the Dursley's, since they had reconciled. As they were eating breakfast one day Hedwig flashed into the Great Hall with a letter in her beak.

"What have you got there girl," Hermione cooed.

She took the letter and opened it and while reading it got a depressed look on her face.

Harry noticed this right away and asked," What's wrong. No one is hurt are they?"

"No one was hurt. Our parents are going to a dental convention in America. Metropolis, I think." She says with tears beginning to form in her eyes," They say it is something they can't get out of and ask if we can stay here this holiday. They have to leave before we get out of school."

Harry sees the tears and says while wiping them from her cheeks," None of that now. We will just have to fly over on our own and spend the holiday with them in Metropolis. Write them back and get their hotel name and make sure they get an extra room for us. I would love to see America and we could visit the Kent's while we are there to check on little Kal-el."

She throws her arms around Harry and kisses him passionately," You are the best husband in the world. I love you so much it hurts sometimes."

"You best get on that letter. I'm sure this will make them happy as well." Harry says.

She laughs happily and pulls out some parchment and a quill to write her letter.

"Here you go Hedwig," Hermione says when she finished," Give this to mum please."

Hedwig trills affectionately at her companions and takes the letter and flashes out of the Great Hall to make the delivery.

A short time later she reappears with an answer which Hermione reads with a satisfied smile.

"They'll be at the Hilton on 5th avenue. They booked the penthouse suite and there are plenty of extra rooms. We can go shopping when we arrive." Hermione says.

"That's great, Hermione," Harry says," I can't wait for school to let out now."

After a few more agonizing days, school finally let out and Harry and Hermione found a secluded corridor and faded out to reappear in the Granger's sitting room.

"Jeeves?" Harry called out.

"You called my lord?" Jeeves asks as he pops in front of them.

"Are you able to pop across the ocean to Metropolis," Harry asks.

"Yes, my lord," he responds," Potter elves draw power from you and my lady. You are more than strong enough for us to do that."

"Good, we are going to fly to the Metropolis Airport and would like for you to meet us out front with a limousine for the trip to the hotel," Harry says.

"Very good my lord," he says," I can arrange with the hotel management for the service. It will also alert them to your arrival and your parents can go with the driver to pick you up at the airport."

"What a wonderful idea Harry. That way Jeeves can be available if we need him." Hermione says, then turns to Jeeves," We will call you when we are ready. Tell the hotel we are arriving on a special flight and once we clear customs we will meet out front. We should be there by three pm eastern time."

Once they packed appropriate clothing for casual and formal wear they shrunk their luggage down and placed it in their pockets. After morphing into their Panteras personas they disillusioned themselves and took off towards the American coast.

Their flight was pretty uneventful until they were approaching Metropolis. The weather had turned very bad with dense blizzard conditions and strong icy crosswinds. They were following a British Airways 747 on approach to the runway because it was having trouble. Ice had already formed on the wings making it hard to get the lift needed, so when a sudden crosswind caught the plane, it was flying practically sideways. The plane was committed to landing and going too slow to abort and the pilots were fighting the controls trying to compensate for the strong wind.

Hunter and Huntress nod to each other and speed up to get even with the plane, reappearing as they approach. Using their laser vision, they melted the ice from the wings. Then they each grab a wing tip and gently turn the plane till it is lined up with the runway. The pilots don't understand what's going on at first until the engineer looks out the window and sees someone flying at the tip of the right wing. He looks out the left side and sees someone on that wing as well. He looks at the pilot and copilot and says," Even out the power and land normally. We've gotten a couple of helpers. Looks like our Elder friends from the news have followed us here."

"They must have business in Metropolis so we are extremely lucky they arrived when we needed help." The pilot says as he lands the plane," Tower, this is British Airways flight 1127; we are safely down thanks to our friends the Elders. That crosswind is too strong. Recommend diverting flights until the storm passes, over."

"Roger that flight 1127; we witnessed the landing and are breathing easier now. You are clear to taxi to gate 16, over."

"Roger tower, taxi to gate 16, out." The pilot responds.

The passengers had been told to assume crash positions as the pilots couldn't seem to get the plane straightened out. Everyone was scared to death until one of the flight attendants noticed the flyers out on the tip of each wing.

"Look outside," She exclaims," aren't they the aliens from the news?"

One of the passengers looks and notices the plane is turning in the right direction," I've heard about them, they saved that train on the underground. We're turning; everything is going to be okay."

After a smooth landing the pilot comes on," This is the captain, thanks to the Elders intervention; we have recovered from the crosswind and landed safely. We should be at our gate momentarily. Please remain in your seats until we come to a complete stop. Thank you."

Everyone let out a breath in relief and relaxed until the plane came to a stop at the gate. As soon as the door was opened Hunter and Huntress flew in and landed inside.

"Is everyone alright," Hunter asks?

At the sight of the Hunters everyone cheered and clapped. The Hunters went up to the cockpit door and knocked. When the door was opened Hunter asks," Did someone report that crosswind?"

The pilot answers," Yes sir, I reported it to the tower and they diverted all other traffic until the storm passes."

"We were following you on your approach and noticed you were in trouble. We're both glad we were able to help." Huntress says.

"So are we," the pilot says.

"We will check on the passengers in the lower section before we leave just to be sure." Hunter says.

They walk down the stairs from the upper deck and the coach passengers spot them and give them a standing ovation.

The pair scans the passengers as they walk down the aisle checking them over. When they reach the back they duck into one of the lavatories and morph back into their real selves where they mingle with the crowd as it departs. As Harry and Hermione exit the breezeway they see a large crowd has gathered hoping to get a glimpse of the hero's.

_"I'm glad we changed back,"_ Harry sends to Hermione.

_"Me too. Looks like the crowd must have witnessed what we did,"_ she responded.

"Let's find mum and dad." Harry says.

They walked out the front door and found a person in a chauffeur uniform with a sign that said Potter. They approached the driver and announced who they were and the driver opened the back door for them to enter.

"Your parents couldn't meet you as they are in a meeting. They will meet you at the hotel." The driver says.

"That's okay driver," Harry says," Thank you for picking us up. Take us to the hotel please."

The limo leaves the airport and makes its way to the hotel on 5th avenue. The driver pulls up to the front entrance and the doorman opens the door to the limo and holds it while Harry climbs out and then turns around to help Hermione out.

"Thank you kind sir," she says to Harry with a smile.

"Welcome to the Metropolis Hilton Mr. and Ms. Potter. We have been expecting you." The doorman says.

"Thank you," Harry replies," please; lead the way."

They follow the doorman to the front desk where the manager of the hotel greets them and has them sign the register.

"Welcome to the Metropolis Hilton, Mr. and Ms. Potter. Drs. Granger informed us you were coming. Here are your keys," he says handing magnetic cards to the couple," Take the express elevator to the top floor and you will be there. Please enjoy your stay with us and room service is available if you need it."

"Thank you sir; I'm sure we will be fine" Harry says while taking the cards.

Harry and Hermione walk to the elevator and Harry swipes his card, calling the elevator and when it arrives they take it to the top floor. They walk out onto the balcony looking over the city and stand there in each others arms while they wait on the Grangers.

A short while later, the front door to the lobby was opened by the doorman and the Grangers came in, shaking the snow from their hair and boots . Mrs. Granger was dragging her husband by his hand.

"Hurry up George," she says," Harry and Hermione should be here by now."

"Okay, keep your britches on, I'm right with you," he says as they enter the elevator.

As soon as the elevator arrived at their suite they rushed out looking for their children.

"Harry? Hermione? Are you here?" She yells.

Harry and Hermione come in off the balcony and are both swept up in hugs from their parents.

"I didn't think we would get to see you this year with the convention" Mrs. Granger says," I'm so glad I was wrong."

"Me too mum," Hermione says in tears," I was getting depressed about not having Christmas with you and dad until Harry suggested we just fly here and be with you anyway."

Harry smiles at his wife's happiness and says," We have these abilities, we might as well use them. It was no problem to come over here so we could have a family Christmas."

He gets another hug from his mother in law and a pat on the back from his father in law. Everyone was very happy about the reunion.

"Why don't we go out to a nice restaurant and do some shopping. My treat," says Harry.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Mrs. Granger says," We already made reservations at Goldstein's and there are plenty of nice stores to shop in."

Everyone got cleaned up and dressed nice for the restaurant, as it was upper class. Donning heavy coats for the bad weather they got in the elevator and went down to the lobby.

"It's only a couple of blocks to the restaurant and then we can take a stroll around the downtown area for shopping." Mr. Granger says.

Harry discreetly casts an invisible shield around the group to protect them from the wind and snow.

They enter the restaurant and walk up to the maître d'.

"Good evening sir," he says as he takes in their immaculate attire," Welcome to Goldstein's. How may I help you?"

"We have a 6 o'clock reservation for Lord Potter and guests," Mr. Granger says.

"If Lord Potter would sign the register I will lead you to your private room," he says.

Harry steps up and signs the register with Hermione on his arm and says," Lead the way good sir."

They follow the Maître d' to their private dining room and he seats them with Harry at the head of the table with Hermione on the left and the Grangers on the right. A server comes in almost right away and sets them up with menus and a glass of water. During dinner, Harry and Hermione bring their parents up to date of happenings at school. They enjoy their dinner and then go out on the town to do some shopping, finding the storm had passed while they were eating. After they get done the group makes their way back to the hotel after Harry shrinks all of the gifts down for easy transport. As the Potters and Grangers are approaching the hotel, Harry and Hermione hear a scream coming from an alley they had just passed. They look at each other and then at the Grangers.

"Go on ahead to the hotel," Harry says," We will catch up after we investigate the scream."

Mr. Granger nods and says," Go do your thing. We will be alright and wait for you."

Harry and Hermione run around the corner and disillusion themselves while running, hoping they are not too late to help whoever is in trouble. As they reach the back of the alley they come upon a group of men and women tormenting a young couple by passing them around among the group while laughing.

"You sense what I do?" Harry sends.

"Yes Harry, these people are vampires and have murder on their minds." She answers," We have to stop this."

Harry immediately puts up wards to contain the alley and keep others out. The vampires feel the wards going up and start to look around in panic.

The leader grabs the girl and yells out," Come out or we will harm the girl. We were just having a little fun. We would have let them go."

Harry and Hermione release their disillusionment and appear in the middle of the group, standing there with their arms crossed and a serious look on their faces.

"Release the girl and we might let you leave here unscathed," Harry demands.

The leader just laughs," You're children. What do you expect to do against us; little ones?"

While everyone was focused on Harry, Hermione subtly waves her right hand freezing the gang in place.

"You probably have noticed you can't move right about now," Harry says," that is one of the things we can do to you and your gang."

Hermione walks up to the girl and frees her from the clutches of the leader while Harry does the same for her friend.

The couple turns out to be a young witch and wizard that were out on a date and thought they could take a shortcut through the alley on the way home.

"Did you walk here," Harry asks?

"Yes we did," the wizard says," we were just on our way home when we were surrounded by these hoodlums."

"These hoodlums are actually vampires and they were not going to let you go," Hermione says," We will take care of them."

Harry looks at the wizard and says," If you will look into my eyes and think of home I will make you a port key to get you there. Tell your parents what happened so they will be aware of possible rogue vampires roaming the area. This group will no longer harm anyone."

The wizard looks into Harry's eyes while thinking about home and Harry says," Got it."

Harry looks around and picks up an old coke can and taps it with his finger.

"Portus," He says. The can glows blue for a second and he hands it to the couple.

"Thanks," The witch says," who can I say helped us get away?"

"Tell your parents you met the Elders of the Universe," Harry says and taps the can with his finger and the young couple flash away.

Harry and Hermione turn back to the now frightened vampires.

"What should we do about you?" Harry asks," I could release a solaris spell right here in the middle of the group. While that would give you guys a really bad sunburn, it would probably attract too much attention. "

They cringe when he says that.

"Or," Hermione says," We suspect you are out here without your clan's permission. So what we will do is send you back to them."

Harry waves his hand and the vampires are forced into a tight group with everyone touching. He conjures a piece of rope and ties it around them and attaches a note describing their activities.

"You will be free when your clan releases you. Until then you will get to know each other real well. Better hope they find you before the sun comes up." Harry says.

He taps the rope," Portus."

It glows blue for a few seconds.

"You will not bother humans again or your whole clan will pay the price," Harry says," We prefer not to take a life but will do what is necessary to keep the peace. Having to exterminate over a hundred dementors in Scotland was bad enough; even if they were just mindless vermin."

The vampires looked at the couple with renewed fear in their eyes.

"You were able to kill dementors," the leader asked trembling?

"Yes," Harry answers," Here's how."

He looks over and picks up a small block of wood lying on the ground. Two thin beams of red light come from his eyes as he burns a message into the block of wood. "Stay away from Humans."

"Give this to your clan leader and tell her what you witnessed." Harry says as he puts the block in the leaders pocket and then nods to Hermione.

She taps the rope with her finger and the vampires flash away to just outside their home.

"Let's go to the hotel, Harry," Hermione says," Mum and dad are probably getting anxious by now."

Harry takes her hand and the couple walks slowly out of the alley, back to their hotel where the doorman opens the door and bids them a pleasant evening.

When the Potter's arrive in the suite, they fill the Grangers in on what happened in the alley while Hermione's mum checks them over for damage, and then decide to go to bed for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 30, An Interesting Christmas, Day Two: Arriving at the Kent's **

The next morning when they all got up and got dressed everyone went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. While they were eating Hermione told her parents their plan for the day.

" Dad, Mum," she says," Since you and mum are stuck in this convention; Harry and I are going to visit the Kent's today. We want to see how little Kal-el is fitting in and give them some Christmas presents."

"Don't they live in Kansas?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Yes, but it won't take long for us to get there," she says," If we're not back by ten we will be back tomorrow."

"Okay, I know you two can take care of yourselves," Mr. Granger says," I'll expect you when I see you."

"Thanks, dad," Hermione says.

After breakfast the Granger's went to the convention hall while Harry and Hermione went into an alley so no one would see them disappear. Harry spotted a drunken man sitting against the wall and winked at him as they disillusioned themselves and took to the sky for the trip to Smallville. The drunken man looked at the bottle in his hand and decided to switch brands as this one was making him see things.

After about an hour's flight, Harry and Hermione lands in an alley near the town's Dairy Queen and go inside to get an ice cream. The couple walks up to the counter to place their order.

"I'd like a chocolate Sunday and she wants a mint chocolate chip Blizzard." Harry says, "We'd also like directions to the Kent farm."

A few minutes later the attendant brings their ice cream treats and asks," Who wants to know where the Kent's live. I'm sorry for asking but the Kent's are an important part of our community and it is obvious you are not from around here."

Harry and Hermione laugh and Harry says," It's okay for asking. You're right that we are not from around here. We live in a suburb just southwest of London England called Crawley. We are here in the states on vacation from school and heard Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha had adopted a son and we came to meet him."

"Well, that's okay then," she says," They live about ten miles outside of town and it would be better to get a taxis to take you as it is too complicated to give directions. The cab company is just across the street."

"Thanks, we'll take a cab. It will also alert them of our arrival," Hermione says.

After finishing with their ice cream and thanking the attendant the Potters walked across the street to the cab company and hired a cab for the trip to the Kent's farm.

When the Potters leave, the attendant goes to the back office and picks up the phone and dials a number. The phone rings a few times and someone answers.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Martha?"

"Millie? Is that you? I haven't heard from you in a while," Martha says.

"Yea, I've been busy with the kids and trying to run the Dairy Queen," she answers.

"We stay busy with the farm so I know what you mean. What's up?" Martha asks.

"You are fixing to have company. A couple of young teenagers from England are in town and wanted to meet your son. They called you Aunt and Uncle and are on the way right now in a cab." Millie says.

"I do have family in England," Martha says thoughtfully," We've never talked before though. This should be interesting. I better hang up and be on the lookout. Thanks for calling Millie. It's good to hear from you."

"You're welcome Martha," She says," Merry Christmas."

"You too Millie," Martha says and hangs up.

"Jonathan," she calls out.

"What is it Martha," Jonathan says walking into the kitchen.

"That was Millie on the phone. A couple of teenagers from England are coming over in a cab," she says," they called us Aunt and Uncle when they asked about us at the Dairy Queen."

"Do we know anyone from England," Jonathan asks?

"My stepmother told me I have a sister who lives over there but we have never met. We were separated at birth," she says," they know about Clark."

"I'm sure we haven't told anyone about Clark other than the townspeople," he says cautiously," we will have to keep our guard up till we find out more about them."

About fifteen minutes later she looks up sees a yellow cab pull up to the end of their long driveway. She watches as a young teenage boy climbs out and then goes around and opens the door for a young girl of about the same age. He goes up to the driver and pays him with a generous tip, thanking him for the ride. Harry and Hermione start walking down the long drive to the farmhouse they can see in the distance.

Harry and Hermione look around at the property. On the right there is a three rail split rail type fence going from the gate all the way to the main house which sits about a hundred and fifty yards back from the road. The house is a very large two story log cabin ranch style home with a porch that runs all the way around on the left side. On the right of the house is an attached three car garage with a small tractor parked in one of the openings. On the couple's left side there is a very large barn sitting back about two hundred feet from the drive with various farm implements waiting to be serviced sitting outside. Some of them looked well used and in dire need of replacement.

Jonathan and Martha don their coats and go out to greet their unexpected guests. Clark is looking out the window and when he sees who is here puts his coat on and goes out also. He runs past his parents before they can stop him and comes to a halt in front of the teenagers where he bows to them, to the surprise of his parents.

"Welcome to our farm Elders," he says.

"Thank you Kal-El," Harry says," we came to check on you and see how you were fitting in."

"I go by Clark now," he says," I am doing well."

Jonathan and Martha catch up just in time to hear the end of the greetings.

"Clark, please don't run like that again. You scare me when you go running off like that," she says panting.

"We saw you bow to these two," Jonathan says," Do you know them?"

Jonathan and Martha were looking at their son and didn't notice Harry and Hermione change into their Pantheras personas.

"Yes father," Clark says," these are the Elders that gave me to you when my ship landed."

They look up and gasp as they see the older couple standing there. They watch as they change back to the teenage versions of themselves.

"This is our true appearance," Hermione says," We only use the other form for public appearances and to keep our privacy. Our real names are Harry and Hermione Potter."

"Why don't you come in where it is warmer," Martha asks," then you can tell us why you are here. We got a call from Millie down at the Dairy Queen saying we had a nephew and niece coming to visit."

Harry laughs and says," Compared to northern Scotland, where we go to school, it almost feels like summer here. We had to say something to get directions. We told her you were our aunt and uncle."

"I do have relatives in England but I have never met them," Martha says.

"What's their last name? We can look them up for you when we go back." Hermione says.

"My birth mother's last name was Richardson," Martha says to the surprise of Harry and Hermione.

"Her first name wouldn't be Constance, would it," Hermione asks quietly?

"Yes," she says," How did you know?"

"My Grandmother's name is Constance Richardson," Hermione says," Do you have a sister?"

"Yes, but I have never met her. We were separated at birth." Martha says.

"That could explain how the Kent's were picked to take care of Clark," Harry says.

"That makes perfect sense, now that you mention it." Hermione says," We'll have to bring mum and dad here when they get out of their conference. I knew there was a connection between me and her."

As they were taking they walked down the long drive to the house and went inside, getting comfortable in the den.

"Would anyone like some hot tea," Martha asks knowing that the English prefer tea to coffee.

"Yes please," Hermione says," Allow me."

She waves her hand over the coffee table and a silver tea set appears with china cups and saucers. There is a full pot of tea with milk and sugar along with biscuits (cookies).

The Kent's are amazed at the display of magic.

"How can you do that," Martha asks," I knew you could fly and were strong but didn't know about this. Is this how you fixed our corn field? Will Clark be able to do this as well?"

"I'm afraid Clark won't be able to do magic like us," Harry says," He is just like you in every way except his DNA is slightly different."

"What do you mean," Jonathan asks?

"One of the reasons we came today was to talk to you about this," Hermione says," All five of us in this room are the same. We are all human. The only difference is in our DNA chains. We decided to tell you our secret so that you would know our intentions are honorable. Being related makes this easier. Harry and I are Elders. An Elder is a human with a few extra strands of DNA that allows us to perform magic. There are a lot of people on the planet that can do magic but can't fly or do any of the other things we can do. They call themselves witches and wizards. They stay hidden from the mundane world for safety reasons as they only make up about one percent of the population. Kal-El, sorry, Clark is just as human as you are. His DNA is slightly different for environmental reasons. He was born on a planet with a cool red giant type star and had to be able to endure the radiation and the heavy gravity of his world. Here, on Earth with a yellow, medium type star the radiation is unique enough to give him the powers he will come into as he grows up. If he leaves Earth to go to any of the other planets he will lose his powers and revert to what is normal for a human from his planet. Harry and I were born here on Earth but are genetically engineered hybrids. We have a mixture of DNA from Earth and DNA from our engineer's planet along with Nano-probes in our blood that give us total recall."

"That's an amazing story," Jonathan says, "but I can tell by the look on your faces you are leaving something out."

"There is something else, but the only people that know about the rest, is our council and our parents," Harry says.

"You said your last name was Potter, but you don't act like siblings," Martha says," you are sitting way too close together and you have been constantly holding hands."

They blush a little at this but don't change anything, still clinging to each other.

"You're right," Hermione says with love in her eyes as she looks at Harry, "Harry and I have been married since he turned eight years old. I am ten and a half months older than he is. Eight was the age at which our Nano-probes told us our bodies would be strong enough for the changes that were necessary for our bond. It was murder waiting for him to turn eight so I could go to him."

He looks at her and whispers," Together forever, my love."

"Together forever," she whispers back.

Martha had tears in her eyes as she could see and feel their love and it made her reach over and grab Jonathan's hand and snuggle up to him.

"I'm not sure I understand," Jonathan says smiling and looking at his wife," how can you be married at so young an age?"

"It's simple really," Harry says smirking," We have a soul bond, a marriage made in heaven; literally."

"Prat," Hermione says playfully swatting the back of his head," what Harry means is our bond was preordained by the Creator of all things and because of our status as Elders, the instant we bonded we also became immortal."

Hermione shows her wedding rings and says," The magical world recognizes a soul bond as marriage and we will get married the normal way in the mundane world when we are old enough."

"Thank you for telling us this," Martha says," It shows you trust us with your secret. What were the other reasons for coming here?"

"We wanted to check on Clark to make sure he was fitting in okay and see how you two were coping. I thought I felt a connection to you when we gave you Clark. I'm so glad I was right and you really are our aunt and uncle. I've never had any and Harry's wasn't exactly nice to him when he was little," Hermione says with a smile," Also we brought presents for all three of you."

That got Clark's attention and he says laughing," Oh boy."

Everyone looks over at Clark with a smile.

"Clark has been doing real well," Martha says," We thought we would have to deal with the terrible two's but he has been very calm and well behaved."

"With the ship he came in being a modified life pod, he would have been subject to time dilation due to the limited speed of the ship and it would have taken him almost six of our years to get here," Harry says," Krypton was on the other side of the known universe from us."

The Kent's accepted what Harry said about space travel as fact since he was family and they had no reason not to believe him.

"Now for the presents we promised," Harry says," they are more practical than fun but we think you will like them. We gave some to the royal family and they were well received."

Hermione pulls out three boxes and hands them to the Kent's. When they open the boxes and look inside they find Rolex watches inside.

"These are Rolexes," Jonathan exclaims," These three watches probably cost more than my farm."

"When it comes to family or good friends cost is not important." Hermione says," Doubly so, now that we know you are family Uncle Jonathan."

He smiles at her when she says that," Thank you very much Hermione."

"The watches are more than they appear," Harry explains," If you will push the button on the side the face will pop open and reveal another section. You will see a mirror that is actually a phone with video that will allow you to talk to anyone else with one if you know the password. Just say the password for that person and you will get them. For you three they are programmed for your names. My parents and the royal family have these and the password insures privacy. In mine and Hermione's case our password is Hunter and Huntress so you can call us whenever you want. If you will hit the button again you will find another face that allows you to see the status of your family. Each family member has a hand that will show whether they are at home, work, traveling or in danger. The watches will protect you from magical attack and act as portkeys to take you to a safe place if needed. While we don't expect anything to happen to you please don't take them off. They can't be removed by anyone but the person they were made for."

"What do you mean by magical attack," Martha asks?

Harry whips out his wand faster than the eye can follow and shouts "Bombarda" blowing a whole in the wall and the front door completely off. Hermione then calmly waves her hand and repairs the front door and the hole in the wall. The Kent's are suitably impressed.

"Clark's watch will also protect him from the radio isotopes generated by meteoric fallout from his home planet which would be deadly to him." Harry explains," There was a meteor shower at the same time as his ship entered the atmosphere so we thought it would be a good precaution to add just in case."

All three Kent's were wearing their watches and vowed to never take them off after the demonstration.

After consulting her watch Hermione looks at Harry and sends_," Let's bring Mum and Dad here. They should be back at the hotel by now." _

"_Good idea Hermione. I think mum would like to meet her sister." _Harry sends back.

"_Take Aunt Martha to the kitchen and explain what we are going to do. I would like to talk to Uncle Jonathan about the farm. I think we can help him with new equipment and a couple of elves to help out."_ Harry says.

"_Okay,"_ Hermione sends back_," I love you Harry, you are a good man."_

"_Thanks beautiful, I love you too,"_ Harry sends.

Hermione gets up and says," Aunt Martha, why don't you show me the kitchen. I would like to talk with you and Harry wants to talk with Uncle Jonathan. Men talk you know."

The Kent's were watching the couple and knew they were doing something by the facial expressions and gestures. Martha nods to Hermione and gets up to lead her into the kitchen.

When they get there Martha pours more tea and they sit at the table.

"Were you two having a conversation just then," Martha asks?

"Yes, we can talk to each other in our heads," Hermione says with a smile and love in her eyes.

"You really love him don't you," Martha asks?

"You have no idea," Hermione says with a contented smile," we were made for each other. There is just no way to describe it accurately."

"Then I am very happy for you," Martha says," What did you want to talk about."

"Harry and I thought you might want to meet mum and dad," Hermione says," We can bring them here this evening if you like."

"I would like that very much," Martha says," I've always wanted to meet my sister."

"As soon as Harry is finished with Uncle Jonathan we will get them," Hermione says," I'm sure mum would like to meet you too."

"What are they talking about in there," Martha asks?

"Business," is all Hermione would say.

Meanwhile; in the living room.

"Uncle Jonathan," Harry says," I noticed when we first arrived that some of your farm equipment looks a bit run down. How is the farm doing?"

Jonathan sighs and says," It's not something you should be worrying about at your age. We will manage okay. We always do."

Harry looks at him and says," Let's see what we can do to help."

Jonathan looks at Harry and starts to say something when Harry calls out," Jeeves."

Jeeves pops into the room and bows deeply to Harry," What can Jeeves do for you today My Lord Potter?"

Jonathan just looks at the creature in front of Harry and stares.

"Jeeves, this is Jonathan Kent; his wife is Hermione's aunt so that make them family," Harry says," Are there any elves that are good with farm work?"

Jeeves turns and bows to Jonathan and says to Harry," Yes Lord Potter. You own a dairy farm in Glendale, Kansas that also has horses. Clem is the foreman and wants to promote one of the other elves to his position. He would love to work here. His mate Glenda would be perfect for the house."

"Glendale," Jonathan exclaims," that's just down the road about an hour from here. Why does he keep calling you Lord?"

"Lord and Lady Potter are the magical King and Queen of the British Commonwealth," Jeeves says proudly.

Harry sighs and says," It's not something Hermione and I go around advertising. We are comfortable in our positions and try to help out where we can. You are family Uncle Jonathan and if we can help make your life better then we will do what we can. Money is not an obstacle and if it makes you more comfortable we can call what we do an investment. We will at least see to it you make a profit and live comfortably."

"That does make me feel better," Jonathan says," I've always been an independent person and will be glad to have more family to share with."

Harry smiles and calls out," Clem."

An elf in overalls pops in next to Harry. He still looks like a regular house elf as he hasn't gone through the process of conversion yet. Harry asks," Would you and your mate, like to help with Uncle Jonathan's farm?"

"Yes, Master Harry, wees would loves to helps," Clem says.

Harry looks at Jeeves with a face of stone and asks," why didn't you tell us we owned more elves?"

"I'm sorry Lord Potter, but I didn't know either until you asked. The knowledge was given to me about the dairy farm when you asked about it." Jeeves says frightened.

"I want you to find out everything you can about this so we can bring them into the family as well. If you have to go to Gringotts and get a list of all of my properties I want it done." Harry orders; showing some of his power.

"Right away Lord Potter," Jeeves says and then pops away to do as he was told.

Hermione runs into the living room when she feels Harry getting upset and sits in his lap to calm him down. Kissing him she asks," What happened?"

Then she notices Clem standing there and asks," Who's house elf is this and why is it here?"

"It's ours Hermione and there are more that we didn't know about," Harry says upset.

"We have to fix this right away Harry," Hermione says upset also," even though they have to bond with us to keep their magic I will not have slaves in this family."

"I know Hermione. I won't either. I have Jeeves looking into this for us so we can resolve the issue. I thought he knew about this and didn't tell us. I was wrong, he didn't know till I asked." Harry says," I'm afraid I was a little harsh on him and will have to make it up to him somehow."

"It's alright Harry, now that we know about it we can fix it." Hermione says.

Harry looks at Clem and asks," How many elves do I own that you know about?"

"Theres are fifteen ats the dairys farm and twenty seven ats the Milks plant." Clem says.

"Please bring Glenda here so we can free you and bond with you as family," Harry says," We don't condone slavery but are happy to include you in our family."

Clem's eyes get even wider than they normally are when he hears this and pops away to get his mate.

While he is gone Harry explains to the Kent's," House elves have to be bonded to a witch or wizard in order to keep their magic. For most house elves that is no more than slavery. They are treated like slaves with no rights and some are mistreated badly. It's been going on so long that nobody remembers who put the curse on them to make them this way. Hermione and I found that the elves were originally a magical people that willingly bonded to help out good families. It was a mutually beneficial way of life, much as a symbiotic organism and its host. Both benefit from the other. This slavery is one of the things Hermione and I are trying to change through education. Watch what happens to Clem and his mate when we free them and re-bond. They will revert to their original form and talk much better. The elves love to work and it's hard to make them take a day off or even pay them. They claim that sharing our magic is payment enough so we quit trying to argue with them about it."

"Is it usual for someone to own forty two elves," Martha asks appalled?

"Most families only own one or two at the most. Harry and I own Hogwarts School and when we first found out about house elves, we discovered we owned one hundred and eighteen. We talked to the head elf and found out freeing them will kill them so we asked if bonding as family will work. We both grew up as an only child till we met at age eight and will always want more family. If we could free every elf on the planet and bond to them we would. We thought that was all but now with forty two more there is no telling how many in total there are, but we will free every one of them when we find out." Hermione states emphatically.

"Hermione is right," Harry says," This is one thing that she and I are very passionate about. I wish we had known about this current situation three years ago."

About the time he finishes Clem and Glenda pop in and bows real low to Harry and Hermione and says," Wees is ready Lord and Lady."

Harry and Hermione each conjure a sock and hands them to the elves and chant together," With this sock you are now free," then placing their hands on the elves heads they chant," We now bond you to us as family Clem and Glenda Potter."

The Kent's watch as Clem and Glenda start to glow and then their features slowly change. They grow to four and a half feet with slightly slanted eyes and small pointed ears with shimmering green hair. They now have the Potter crest as a small patch on their clothes that will look like a company logo to mundane people.

"What a handsome race of people," Martha declares.

Harry looks at Clem and says," Welcome to the family Clem. I would like for you to go and show your fellow elves and see if they want to become family as well. Bring them here and we will bond with them. Then you can work for the Kent's and hire as many elves as you think are needed to run the farm and make a good profit."

"Thank you Lord Potter." Clem says while looking at Clark," Glenda and I have always wanted to work for a family with children."

They pop away and Harry and Hermione expand the room temporarily to accommodate the crowd.

"This will only take a few minutes Uncle Jonathan and then everything will return to as normal as it gets for our family." Harry says.

Jonathan laughs and says as he puts his arm around Martha," This is a welcome change for us Harry. It was getting to be rather dull around here and you have brought some excitement back into our lives."

Clem and Glenda pop back into the room with the rest of the elves and they are all reverted back to their native forms. After bowing to their Lord and Lady they pop back to where they came from and resume their duties.

"Clem and Glenda," Hermione says," Show the Kent's your glamour form."

The elves transform into a good looking young couple with brown hair and handsome features.

"This is how they will appear to any visitors you have or when they are in public. It will be safe to take them into town with you when you explain about us as being new investors in your farm and how we hired some help for you. You can tell them we are a British Lord and Lady to explain where the money comes from." Harry says," We were told by Millie that you were an important part of the community and this will just reinforce that view."

Hermione looks over at Clark and sees him fidgeting in the corner where he has been quietly observing everything that has happened. She gestures him over and sits him in her lap.

"What's wrong Clark," She asks," We're not scaring you are we?"

"No Elder," He says," I'm glad you are my cousin."

"Call me Hermione, Clark," she says," we are family now and Harry and I are more than happy to have a cousin we can come and play with. We will help you develop your powers and answer any questions you might have about your heritage as you get older."

Clark hugs Hermione while Harry puts his hand on his shoulder to reinforce what she said.

"Can I ask you something," he asks?

"Anything," Hermione says.

"My teachers in the ship said Elders can heal people. Is this right?" he asks.

"Yes, Harry and I can heal people," she says concerned," why would you ask such a question."

"I overheard mom and dad talking the last time we came home from town. Mom took me to get an ice cream while dad had to go do something. I heard them talking about dad's heart. Something is wrong with it." He says starting to cry.

Hermione looks up at Jonathan with a questioning look on her face.

He sighs and says," The doctor says I have a heart murmur. I am supposed to take it easy and not work too hard. This is the reason I didn't argue too much when you offered to help. I should be able to live a normal life if I don't overdo things too much, but I would be more susceptible to having a heart attack than a healthy person."

Hermione gasps and looks at Harry. He nods at her. They conjure a bed in the middle of the room and she says," Lie down on the bed and we will fix it for you. Aunt Martha, we can do the same for you if you want."

Jonathan lies on the bed where Harry and Hermione get on each side of him and hold their hands just above his heart. The Potter's close their eyes and their hands take on a soft white glow as they hold them in place. Jonathan takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh and relaxes. After a few minutes he gets up and says," I feel a lot better; I don't feel as tired as I usually do."

Hermione gestures to the bed and says," Aunt Martha, if you will?"

She lies down on the bed where Harry and Hermione wave their hands over her body to find if anything might be wrong with her. They stop waving above her lower stomach and their hands start to glow again. Martha lets out an ohh sound and a sigh of relief as if a great pain had been taken away.

She gets up and says," The pain is gone. It no longer hurts to move around anymore. What did you do?"

"We healed your childhood injuries," Hermione says smiling," You can now have children if you want."

Jonathan and Martha whoop with delight and hug each other. Then they pick up Clark and say," Clark, this is great news. You might get a brother or sister to play with soon. Thank you for asking about our health. You are the best son a man could ask for."

Clark is very happy for his parents and reaches out to Hermione where he flies across the room into her arms as he hugs her too. Everyone is amazed at Clark's first showing of his flying ability.

"Now that the excitement is over let's eat," Harry says while nodding to Hermione. It was time to call her mum and set it up.

Hermione calls her mother on her watch phone and says," Mum, Harry and I have a really big surprise for you and a great Christmas present. Could you make reservations for seven in the hotel restaurant?"

"What's this all about Hermione," Her mum asks?

"It's a surprise," Hermione says excitedly," please make the reservations. We will be there in half and hour"

"Okay," She says.

Hermione closes her watch and says to the group," Get dressed for a nice restaurant. We're eating in Metropolis tonight at the Hilton on 5th avenue."

Hermione waves her hand at Harry and his clothes are transfigured into a nice three piece suit with a matching tie and shoes. Harry does the same for her and she appears in a gorgeous pale blue dress with matching shoes and hand bag.

"Wow Hermione," Martha says," I'm afraid we don't have any clothes quite that fancy. Fancy for us is a night at the steakhouse in slacks and a nice shirt."

"That's okay Aunt Martha. Let's see what I can do then," She says," Harry, take care of Clark and Uncle Jonathan."

She waves her hand at Martha and she is dressed in a maroon dress that sets off her hair, along with matching shoes and bag. Harry does the same for Jonathan by giving him a suit to go with his wife's dress. Clark gets a nice pair of slacks and a shirt to match with new shoes.

"These are permanent and you can keep them when we get home," Harry says," we will go shopping tomorrow and get a few new outfits for everyone."

"How are we going to get all the way to Metropolis in less than thirty minutes," Jonathan asks?

"We will phase you there. You won't notice a thing, just a change in location. Think Star Trek transporters and you will get an idea of what we mean." Hermione says," Aunt Martha grab Clark and hold on to him. I will take you two while Harry takes Uncle Jonathan."

Hermione closes her eyes and sends_," We're coming mum."_ and fades out of view.

Jonathan's eyes are wide when he sees them phase out like that and next thing he knows he is in a hotel suite facing a couple he has never seen before.

Meanwhile in the hotel suit Hermione's mum sits up suddenly and says," They're coming."

"How do you know that?" Mr. Granger asks as the Kent's phase into the room with Harry and Hermione.

"Never mind," He says as he walks up to great Jonathan and Martha.

"George Granger," He says as he shakes hands with the Kent's," This is my wife Helen. You obviously know our kids already and this must be young Clark."

"Jonathan Kent," He says," and this is my wife Martha and our son Clark."

There was instant connection as soon as Martha's eyes met Helen's and they fell into each other's arms crying. There was a flair of magic around the pair and they could suddenly talk to each other in their heads. Their magical cores expanded from being squibs to ones that a normal witch would have.

"What's going on," Mr. Granger asks confused.

"George, this is my twin sister that I told you about when we were younger. We were separated at birth when dad divorced mum and moved to America." Helen Granger says," I never told Hermione about her because I didn't know how to find her. It looks like fate and a spaceship from another galaxy found her for me. Thank you Harry and Hermione, you were right, this is the best Christmas present I could ever get. This is amazing, I feel tingly all over and I can talk to Martha in my head. If this is what you and Hermione have Harry I can see why you say you feel whole when you are together."

Harry and Hermione look at each other and smile," We have another surprise for you then. Aunt Martha, you feel tingly as well don't you."

She nods yes," I do. It is a most amazing feeling."

"The tingly feeling is because you both got your magic back," Hermione says," Apparently being separated at such a young age kept your cores from developing because you are each one half of a whole and never connected until now. You will need to get wands and learn how to control your magic. Harry and I will hire tutors that are familiar with this type of situation and make sure you learn everything you need to. Your natural life spans have increased to between two and three hundred years because magic slows down the aging process."

Harry and Hermione turn to Mr. Kent and Mr. Granger," Dad, Uncle Jonathan, there is a way for all of you to live forever if you want to. It's called the philosopher's or sorcerer's stone. It creates the elixir of life and allows you to live as long as you want. Yes, it is real. We destroyed one in our first year at school to keep Voldemort from getting it. We can easily make another. You need to decide if this is what you want. The Flamel's lived for six hundred years and came to think of immortality as a curse. You won't be able to destroy the stone yourselves if you change your mind later. Hermione or I will have to do it. Hermione and I are immortal by the Creators wishes and cannot die. Clark will be almost immortal as long as he stays on Earth. He can be killed under the right circumstances, which we hope we alleviated with the watch we gave him today. The decision is yours and you have lots of years to decide. No need to make a hasty decision now. Let us know later if you want to do this."

Mr. Granger looks at his watch and says," time for dinner, our reservation is for seven thirty."

After a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant everyone made it back up to the suite for after dinner cocktails for the adults and juice for the kids. Clark was already nodding off, while Harry and Hermione were showing signs of being tired as well.

Harry walks over to where the adults were taking and gestured to Aunt Martha.

"What is it Harry?" she asks.

"Would you like to see your mother?" he asks her," If so, I will try to arrange it tomorrow."

"I would like that very much, Harry." She says," My father never spoke of her so I had no knowledge of who she was other than her name and that I had a twin sister."

"Okay, I will arrange it tomorrow. You and Uncle Jonathan are welcome to stay the night if you want." Harry says.

"I think we will this will give your mother and me more time together," She says.

"Good," Harry says and then calls," Glenda?"

Glenda appears and bows to Harry while everyone is watching.

"Yes my Lord?" she asks.

"Would you please bring some night clothes and a change for tomorrow for Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha?" he asks.

"I would be pleased to my Lord," she says before popping away.

A few seconds later she is back with the requested apparel and makes up a room for her charges to spend the night in.

"Thank you Glenda," Hermione says when she is finished.

"You're welcome my Lady," she replies," Will there be anything else?"

"No thank you," Hermione says," You may retire for the night if you so desire."

"Very good my Lady," she says, and with a bow she pops out.

"Well," Harry says yawning," Hermione and I are going to bed. See you in the morning."

Mrs. Granger gives them both a kiss and says," Good night you two."

After the Potters closed their door Martha turns to Helen and says," You allow them to sleep together?"

"They have been sleeping together since they bonded when they were eight years old," Helen says," despite their ages of thirteen for Harry and fourteen for Hermione they have not done anything inappropriate despite the fact they are married. Harry has said he and Hermione agreed between them not to do anything until they at least come of age, which is seventeen in the magical world, and get formally married in the mundane world."

"They must have wills of iron to resist the temptation brought on by teenage hormones." Martha says," I'm not sure I could do the same if I were in her shoes."

"I know what you mean Martha," Helen says," those two are so in love and well-connected there are no secrets between them. They are so compatible that they are constantly in each other's heads and finishing each other's sentences. You can't get much more intimate with your partner than that. Watch and keep your eyes open when they are around and you will catch on."

"Okay Helen," Martha says," If you aren't worried about it then I won't either when they come to visit. I think Jonathan and I will head to our room as well."

"Good night, see you tomorrow," Helen says grabbing her husband's hand and leading him to their room for the night.

/


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 31: An Interesting Christmas Holiday, Day Three, Christmas Eve **

The next morning Mrs. Granger gets up to put the coffee on for her husband when she looks out the balcony doors and sees a large black cloud of smoke off in the distance.

"Oh dear," She exclaims," I hope nobody got hurt in the explosion that caused that cloud. It looks like a chemical fire."

Martha and Jonathan come in to see what Helen is talking about.

"Seen a fire like that at the fertilizer plant when I was young," Jonathan says.

Harry and Hermione come out of their room and notice the adults looking out the balcony doors at something and go over to see what it is. As soon as they spot the smoke they both turn around and rush back into their room to get dressed.

Martha says," What's with them?"

"You'll see," Helen says with a smile.

Harry and Hermione come back in fully dressed where they morph into their Pantheras personas.

"We're going to help, mum," Hermione says," Open the doors please."

"Ready Huntress," Harry says, looking at her.

"Ready Hunter," Huntress replies with a serious look on her face.

Helen opens the balcony doors so Hunter and Huntress could exit.

The two disillusion themselves and fly out the doors with a whoosh and the air swirling behind them.

"Wow," Jonathan says," that was something."

"You get used to it with those two," George Granger says," Let's see if the fire is on the telly. Maybe we can watch them in action."

They turn on the television to find a local news channel and sure enough the fire is being broadcast live. The group watches as the local fire department don their hazmat suites getting ready to fight the fire.

The Hunters arrive unnoticed by the firemen and take in the scene. They are hovering over a large railroad classification yard where train cars are sorted and routed to their destinations. The fire is the result of a collision between a locomotive and several tanks cars which ruptured. Toxic fumes and acrid smoke is being released into the air and the danger of further explosions was very real.

Hunter looks at Huntress and sends_," Let's make a one way portal back to where our home planet was and a vortex to keep the smoke and fumes away from the city."_

"_I agree, the vortex will act like a vacuum into the portal. There is nothing left of our star system anyway so no harm will be done,"_ Huntress sends.

They fly up to about a hundred feet above the fire and hover on opposite sides where they hold their arms out at what would be ninety degrees from each other with their palms out. They reappear just as a blue hazy light shoots out of their hands towards each other and when the lights touch it forms a large circle above the fire and wreckage.

"Look at that," a fireman exclaims as he looks up.

Everyone else looks up and sees a bright ring around a field of blue haze. As they watch, the haze inside the ring clears and shows stars with what looks like a galaxy swirling in the background. The hunters slowly start to rotate around the outside of the ring, going faster and faster until they become a blur. The effect of the two rotating beings is causing the cloud of smoke to start to rotate and be drawn towards the ring like a tornado pulling up ground debris with it. Everyone makes sure any loose items are secured and grabs onto something so they don't get pulled in as well. It turns out that while the wind was strong, there was no danger to the people on the ground. After about twenty minutes, the fire is out and the smoke has cleared. The two beings slowed down the rotation slowly until they were hovering in the same place they started. The ring becomes hazy inside again and dissipates.

The Hunters look down on the wreckage and see that their idea worked perfectly. There was no fire and no hazardous chemicals left to clean up, just the wreckage. They fly to each other happily kissing as they spin around each other in the air. The firefighters and wrecking crew below were clapping and cheering as well.

"We should allow them to have the formula for Trinium," Hunter says.

"I think that would be a good idea," Huntress agrees.

The couple fly down to the fire brigade commanders position and land gracefully in front of him.

"We saw the fire from our hotel window this morning and came to investigate," Hunter says," We are in town visiting family."

"You have family here," The commander asks?

"Yes, we may have been engineered on another planet but we were both born on Earth, from Earth parents. In England to be precise," Huntress says," Our parents are here at a convention and we have family members that live here in America."

"The fact that you two are not real aliens makes me feel a lot better about you being here." the commander states.

Hunter and Huntress notice the reporters in the background and wave them forward. They gather around and he holds his hand up to stall questions.

"I will not answer any direct questions but we will make a statement about our origin that you can release to the public." Hunter says nodding to Huntress.

"We were born on Earth to two sets of parents that could not have children of their own. There was a Prophesy made millennia ago about two people that would be sent to Earth to save it from itself and bring it into the Galactic Community of Planets. Yes there are millions of planets with humans living on them in the universe. So far we have colonized twenty eight different galaxies. Millions of years of technological advancement made this possible. The human race is old and has been around for a very long time. This planet is still young and the peoples of Earth have a lot of growing up and maturing to do before you are ready." Huntress says," Hunter and I were made immortal by the Creator of all Things; whom most of you refer to as God or Allah or any number of other names. We are called the Elders of the Universe and were given our powers by the Creator to fulfill the Prophesy. We are not gods and do not want to be misinterpreted as such. We are here to help the peoples of the Earth and it is our home."

She turns to face the commander of the firemen; and the foreman of the wrecking crew and says," Let's get this mess cleaned up and then we have something to give to your engineers that will eventually prevent this type of accident from happening in the future. We will need some metallurgists from the steel mills and from the railroad company. Our gift will be a metal called Trinium. The metal is indestructible and can be easily made in the steel mills with current technology. The materials needed to make the metal are common to every planet and we use it to make the hulls of our starships. Let's get to work people. Mr. Foreman, if you will position your train of flat cars Hunter and I will clear the wreckage for you so we can all go home to our families for Christmas."

The wrecking crew cheers and moves off to get their train ready.

Hunter shakes the commander's hand and says," It's been a pleasure meeting you and I'm glad we were able to contain that toxic cloud before it could dissipate into the city. It's good to know that the fire department is always ready when they are needed."

"The pleasure is all mine." the commander says," Merry Christmas to you and yours."

He turns to his men and says," Let's clear out. The railroad can handle it from here. Let's go home to our families."

Hunter and Huntress fly over to the wreckage and wait for the flatcar train to arrive. After about a half hour wait the train rumbles down an adjacent track and stops where the air brakes are set and everyone gets off to work.

The foreman walks over and says," I put in a call for the metallurgists and they should be here by the time we are finished. I have a crane coming that should be here in a few minutes."

"The crane won't be necessary," Huntress says," Hunter and I can handle clearing the wreckage if your crew can secure it to the flat cars as we clear it away. Let's start with the locomotive."

"That thing weighs upwards of a hundred and seventy tons," he exclaims.

Hunter and Huntress just shrug their shoulders and fly to each end of it where they grab hold of the chassis next to the couplers. They slowly lift the locomotive off the ground and hover a little above the height of the flatcars. The wrecking crew gang move quickly over to the nearest flat car and direct the Hunters on how to place it for securing. As they were moving the tank cars that had ruptured they came across a couple of cars that had welded themselves together from the chemicals and high temperature of the fire.

"We need a cutting torch over here," the foreman called.

"Not necessary," Hunter says," Show me where you want the cut made."

The foreman points out where the cuts should be made to separate the cars and keep them from collapsing. Hunter and Huntress looks at the spots indicated and four beams of red light emit from their eyes and make short work of the job. The foreman just shakes his head in amazement and lets the Hunters continue with their work. When the wreckage is cleared the Hunters look at the track and proceed to straighten out the bent rails and walks over to the flatcar loaded with replacement rails to get replacements for the rails that were melted in the fire. They drive the spikes in with their fingers and replace the ties that need it. The crew brings a car over that spreads more ballast and tamps it in place. Hunter and Huntress bend down and place their hands on the rails and concentrate. Every rail in the yard starts to glow a reddish yellow for a few seconds and stops. It took about three hours to clear the wreckage and repair the yard instead of three days. The wrecking crew was impressed with the Elders willingness to get down and dirty with the working man and happy they didn't have to spend their Christmas holiday clearing the wreckage.

"What was that glow," the foreman asks?

"We converted all the rails in the yard to Trinium by changing their molecular structure. This yard will never have to have the rails replaced due to wear and tear. Let's go meet the metallurgists."

Hunter cuts off a piece of one of the bad rails with his laser vision and converts it to Trinium for the scientists. The Foreman then leads the Hunters to an office building next to the yard entrance and into a conference room where he places the sample down on the table for inspection. The metallurgists come over to inspect the rail segment and are amazed that they could move it so easily.

Hunter gets their attention, picks up the rail segment with his left hand and says," This, gentlemen, is a rail segment that has been converted to Trinium by changing the molecular structure. I will give you the formula and recommend you do a full spectrum analysis of the segment. I want to make sure you understand fully everything about this metal because it is going to change the face of this planet. The metal is indestructible and won't wear out. It can be manufactured in the steel mills with current technology and very little change at the mill for manufacturing. It can be formed and molded for automobiles and trains and be used anywhere that steel can be used. It weighs a little less than half of its equivalent steel counterpart. If those tank cars had been made from this metal they would not have even dented in the accident. Rails will not wear out and metal train wheels will never need changing due to wear. No more broken knuckles and because of less weight, fuel savings will be enormous. This is the first change Huntress and I will be giving the peoples of Earth. We will be giving this to the Russians and the Chinese and anywhere else it is needed. We will not allow it to be used to build war machines. It can be used for protection in transports or any passive vehicle the military needs. If we find a tank or gun made of this we will change them just like we changed this rail. This is a gift to save lives, not make it easier to take them. That is all the help we will give you, it is up to you to make it work."

Huntress moves up to stand next to her husband and adds," One last thing to know about Trinium. It has no resistance to electrical current. It makes the perfect superconductor and can handle large amounts of electricity with little to no heat being generated. This should revolutionize the electronics industry. There are also other uses we will let you discover on your own. Hunter and I wish you a happy Christmas and good luck with our gift to you."

She grabs Hunters hand and the couple fades out of the room to the astonishment to all of the occupants except the wrecking crew foreman.

"Do you believe what they said is true?" the lead scientist asks.

"They put out the fire, contained the toxic cloud the fire caused by creating a window to somewhere else, cleared the wreckage and repaired the damaged yard in three hours." The foreman answers, "I would do what they say if I were you and heed their warning as well."

"But.." one of the metallurgists says.

"Just watch the news channels," The foreman says," and you will see why I said that."

The lead scientist says," Let's have this sample locked up until it can be tested while we run the formula for analysis. That's a wrap gentlemen, let go enjoy what's left of our holiday while we can. I have a feeling it is going to get very busy around here in the New Year."

A couple of burly guards pick up the sample and follow the lead scientist back to his office where the sample is secured in a locked room.

Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione reappear back in their hotel room looking like themselves to the astonishment of the Kent's. The Granger's were used to this happening but still r-an up to the kids and hugged them while checking them over for damage.

"We saw everything on the news," George Granger says," It was like watching a science fiction movie. You two always amaze your mum and me and we are very proud of you."

"Martha and I agree," Jonathan says," You two **are** amazing and I am proud to have you as my niece and nephew."

Harry and Hermione stand there with their eyes glistening with unshed tears at the praise from their families love.

Harry looks at Hermione and says," Think we should show them Camelot? We could bring Gran as well."

"That's the best idea I have heard all holiday," Hermione says and proceeds to kiss harry passionately.

The two older couples watch the teenagers kiss when Jonathan clears his throat," Ahem, Camelot?"

"Yes," Hermione says," That's our school castle's original name."

"What's a Camelot," Clark asks?

"You go to school in a castle," Martha asks?

"Yes Aunt Martha," Hermione says and turns to Clark," You haven't been on our planet long enough to hear the 'Tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table' yet. It's one of the most popular mundane world fairy tales about an English king about fifteen hundred years ago that united England under one king. It has a lot of magic and the story is where the legend of Merlin came from. The castle he built was called Camelot and it is made of white pristine granite and marble. The movie 'Excalibur' is the closest anyone has come to the real thing in depicting the life of King Arthur."

"You mean to say King Arthur was real?" Jonathan asks," What about Excalibur?"

A sword materializes at Harry's side and he pulls it to show Uncle Jonathan. He holds the blade and sees Excalibur etched into the blade and hands it back where Harry re-sheaths it and it disappears again.

"I pulled this from the stone last summer just like in the fairy tale. That is why Hermione and I are Magical King and Queen of the British Commonwealth. This includes Canada and Australia and we are the Magical equivalent to Queen Elizabeth," Harry says," We would like to take you to spend Christmas Eve and morning at the castle. You would get to meet Grandpa Dumbledore and we can arrange for your mother to come Aunt Martha."

Jonathan puts his arm around Martha and says," That would be nice Harry. I don't have any family left and until now we didn't think Martha did either. This will make for a dream come true to see a fairy tale castle that is real. King Arthur was one of my favorite stories when I was a child."

"The castle is in Scotland so get Glenda to pack a trunk or suitcase for you that includes warm clothes. Just call her name and she will come to you." Harry says.

Jonathan does that and Hermione calls her grandmother while Harry calls Professor Dumbledore by speaking into his watch," Grandpa."

After a few seconds Professor Dumbledore answers the call," Harry, my boy. How are you this fine evening?"

"We're doing well Grandpa; we've had an interesting week so far. The reason I am calling is to inform you that Hermione and I will be there in a bit. You will notice the castle change around you shortly as it reverts back to its original form. We are bringing our parents and Hermione's aunt and uncle from America along with her grandmother. Please send a carriage to the Three Broomsticks for the ride to the castle. We will need a family room for two couples and grandmother." Harry says.

"All will be ready when you arrive, Harry. It will be nice to spend Christmas with my grandchildren." Albus says.

"Thanks grandpa, we will see you in a little while," Harry says and closes his watch cutting off the connection.

Hermione says," Gran will meet us at the Three Broomsticks in thirty minutes."

Everyone packs a travel bag for a couple days stay at the castle and gathers in the main room of the suite for transport. Harry conjures a Hoola-hoop type ring and taps his finger on the ring and says," Portus."

The ring glows blue momentarily and Harry says," Everyone grab on and don't let go. Kick your legs like you are walking and you shouldn't fall when we land."

Everyone grabs a travel bag and grasps the hoop.

"Here we go," Harry says," **Activate**"

The group disappears in a flash of multicolored light from the room and about a minute later there is another flash in front of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade Village. The group appears and all land fairly well with no one falling down.

"Very good landing everyone," Hermione says," I see Gran over by the carriage waving."

They all walk over to the carriage and when Gran sees Martha her eyes get big and then tears start to flow.

"Martha?" Gran asks?

Martha nods as tears start to flow in her eyes as well.

Martha says," I thought I would never get to see you Mother. I didn't know how to find you. Dad passed when I was real young and I was raised by my stepmother."

"I had no idea how to find you either," Gran answers back, hugging her daughter for all she was worth.

"Guess what mother?" Helen says, barely holding in her excitement.

"What?" Gran says seeing the delight in her daughter's eyes.

"As soon as Martha and I touched when we met, we bonded as twins and our magical cores manifested themselves. We are both witches now and need to learn how to control our magic," Helen says smiling real big.

"Let's all get in the carriage, shall we?" Harry says," Uncle Jonathan, if you will hold Aunt Martha's hand you should be able to see the castle when it comes into view."

They all pile into the carriage for the journey to the castle.

"Those are some strange looking animals pulling the carriage Harry," Uncle Jonathan commented.

"They're called Thestrals," Hermione explains," they can only be seen by someone who has seen death. Unfortunately that includes all of us."

While they were talking the castle was going through its change back into Camelot with its Granite and Marble spires. The students inside were amazed by what was happening around them. The Pendragon banner and crest appeared in the great hall along with the throne for King Harry and Queen Hermione. The head table was split in the center and moved to angle out at forty five degrees from the thrones with the center isle wide and unobstructed from the front entrance. To the right of the thrones a round table appears, large enough to seat all of the adults and guests for the Christmas feast being prepared by the elves. All of the suits of armor around the castle were suddenly bright and shiny; standing their posts proudly.

Mrs. McGonagall runs up to Professor Dumbledore and asks," What's going on Albus?

"The castle is reverting back to its original form." Albus says," The King and Queen are coming home for Christmas day and bringing their family with them. They will be here in a few minutes."

"Oh dear," she exclaims," I better get ready."

She hurries off to her chambers to get one of her best robes on to greet the royal family. She knows who they are but has great respect for them and wants to show it.

The announcement went out all over the school," All students and faculty to the great hall to welcome the King and Queen."

When the students hear the announcement they all rush to their dorms to put on dress robes and hurry to the Great Hall where they take in the changes and wonder who the king and queen are they are supposed to greet.

Back in the carriage the adults stare in amazement and awe as the castle comes into view. When the carriage passes through the wards everyone gasps when their attire changes magically into royal robes fitting for the family of the King and Queen. Harry and Hermione find themselves in the attire they wore to greet the mundane queen.

"Looks like we will have to claim the throne formally before we can be ourselves," Hermione says.

"Yea," Harry says," I'm glad the whole student body isn't here right now."

She just nods in agreement while snuggling up to him for the last part of the ride. Eventually the carriage pulls up to the front doors of the castle and an elf in footman livery is there to open the door and places a step stool for them to step down on. Harry steps out and holds Hermione's hand as she climbs out. The Granger's and Kent's follow with Clark looking everywhere taking in the sights with wide eyes. The group can see people milling about in the great hall.

"Everyone ready?" Harry asks," Just form up behind us as couples and walk in like you own the place. When we reach the throne; Hermione's family stand on her side and Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha on my side. The ceremony will only last a few minutes and we can all relax."

Harry sends a mental message to Albus_," Grandpa, Join us and stand with Hermione's grandmother as you are part of our family."_

They start up the steps into the castle with Harry and Hermione leading and as soon as they enter the Great Hall a voice rings out," All hail King Harold and Queen Hermione Pendragon, magical king and queen of the British Commonwealth."

The King and Queen walk in and everyone bows as they pass on their way up to the thrones. When they arrive, Harry and Hermione turn around facing the staff and students. Harry pulls Excalibur from its scabbard and holds it straight up. When Hermione also grabs on the pommel the sword starts to glow and the air starts to swirl around them as the magic builds up.

Soon the glow envelopes the couple and they shout out in unison," THE KING AND THE LAND ARE ONE. I HAROLD PENDRAGON AND I HERMIONE PENDRAGON CLAIM CAMELOT AS THE ROYAL SEAT OF MAGICAL BRITAIN AND ALL OF HER COLONIES."

A bolt of lightning flashes from the ceiling of the Great Hall into the sword followed by a loud clap of thunder. The glow fades away and the air calms when Harry and Hermione take their seats on their thrones as the crowd looks on in admiration and awe.

The couple sits there for a few minutes to let everyone see them as King and Queen. Harry stands up and says," Well, I'm glad that's over. Now we can go back to being just Harry and Hermione."

Everyone in the room laughs when he says that and they all gather around to look at the crown and tiara they are wearing along with the sword.

Jonathan looks over at Albus who is wearing one of his famous robes with the moving stars and moons along with the pointed hat and his long beard and whispers to Hermione," Is that Merlin?"

Hermione laughs and says," No, that's Grandpa Dumbledore."

"Grandpa," she says," I would like to introduce my parents George and Helen Granger along with my grandmother, Mrs. Richardson."

Harry says while pointing out the Kent's," And these three are Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha Kent along with their son Clark. They have a farm in Kansas; that's in America."

"I know where Kansas is Harry," Albus says smiling," It's a great pleasure to meet Harry and Hermione's family at last. I have to say we at Hogwarts are very proud of these two. This is a whole new school because of them and I am looking forward to whatever else they manage to come up with."

Helen and George swell with pride when they hear that. Jonathan and Martha are growing fonder of their niece and nephew by the minute as they discover the type of people they are.

Hermione moves to the podium where she steps on the platform and starts to rise up.

The adults are watching in amazement as the platform rises up, seemingly by itself, with no motor sound and no support.

"My Hermione made that," Harry proclaims proudly.

She looks back at him and smiles when she hears what he says.

"Most amazing feat of conjuration I ever saw," says Professor Flitwick," She is definitely a prodigy."

Mrs. Granger snuggles into Mr. Granger as he puts his arm around her, both with beaming smiles on their faces.

As the platform reaches the correct height for Hermione she steps forward and it stops. She looks out over the crowd of students and teachers and says," **Let the Christmas feast begin.**"

Food appears on the tables and everyone grabs a seat and starts to dig in. Harry and Hermione notice Mr. Filch lingering at the front of the Great Hall near the entrance and walk over to him.

"Won't you join us Mr. Filch?" Harry says," You are a valued member of our staff and are welcome to enjoy Christmas dinner with us." Harry then looks at Mrs. Norris and says," You too."

Mrs. Norris says," Meow."

They all laugh and head to the round table where the adults were all standing around waiting on the King and Queen to be seated. Harry holds a chair for Hermione and then seats himself; allowing the rest of the group to be seated. Everyone is sitting around the table eating, talking and having a good time. Even Mr. Filch is having a good time while Mrs. Norris has climbed into Harry's lap where he is discreetly feeding her from the table. Hermione smiles at Harry and helps.

After desert is over, Harry picks up a fork and taps against his goblet, making a light tingling sound to get everyone's attention. When he has their attention he stands and raises his goblet.

"To the best staff in the history of Hogwarts," he proclaims," May we have many years together and Happy Christmas to all."

"Hear. Hear," They all say in unison.

Harry looks around the table and says," Would the council remain behind? Everyone else is dismissed to enjoy the rest of their holiday."

After the rest of the staff went about their business, the council gathered around Harry and Hermione. Drinks appeared on the table for the adults while the Potters stayed with Pumpkin juice. Harry stands up and looks at his and Hermione's parents then over at the Kent's.

"When I turned eleven, Hermione and I got a letter from Gringott's bank stating that I could claim my inheritance as Lord Potter if I wanted. Imagine how surprised we were when we found out we were going to be a Lord and Lady. When we arrived at the bank, the goblins practically worshipped the ground we walked on. We were met by Ragnok himself, the king of the goblins. He ran blood inheritance tests on us and we found out we owned the school and were Founder's heirs. We knew we were Elders already and were told by our Nano-probes what our actual status was in the magical world. We told Ragnok we were not ready to lead the world yet as we were just children with very little experience and hadn't learned the wisdom needed to lead the world into the Galactic Community of Planets. We have the equivalent of several PHDs in mundane education through our Nano-probes but no experience with our magical sides. When we came to Hogwarts we decided we needed a council of elders to advise us and teach us, so we appointed a council of five people to help."

Hermione continues while pointing out each member," They are led by Grandpa Dumbledore, who is also the Potter Proxy and is Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. That is the magical equivalent of Parliament. Next is Professor McGonagall, she is the Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor House, and Gryffindor proxy, she also teaches transfiguration. Then we have Professor Flitwick, our charms professor. He is the head of Ravenclaw House and has the Ravenclaw proxy. He has a unique view of the world as he is half goblin and half human. He is the first person not fully human to be appointed to the Wizengamot. Next we have Professor Snape. He teaches potions and is head of Slytherin House and is its proxy. He has the distinction of being the youngest Potions Master in the history of Britain. And last but not least by any means is our head of house, Professor Sprout. She is head of Hufflepuff House and is its proxy. She is a wonderful Herbologist and teaches us all about magical plants."

"Grandpa," Harry says," If you could show our family to the guest quarters Hermione and I would like to retire for the evening. We will meet back here in the morning for a tour of the castle and the giving out of Christmas presents before returning everyone to their homes."

Professor Dumbledore gestures to the Granger's and Kent's to follow him and he leads them to the guest quarters in the castle where everyone settles in for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 32: An Interesting Christmas, Day Four, Christmas Day**

The next morning Harry and Hermione get up and get dressed for the day and as they were walking past the map of the castle Harry disillusions it so there won't be any questions later. They enter the Great Hall where they find their family waiting on them at the round table. While they were eating breakfast a student walks up to where Professor Snape is sitting and taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turns around and looks at the student, who was wearing Slytherin robes.

"What can I do for you Miss Amber?" he asks.

Jocelyn blushes, embarrassed about having to come to her head of house for something that should not have been a problem in the first place.

"Sir, the portrait to our common room won't let us in. It just keeps hissing at us and no one knows what to do. I was picked to approach you about it," she said.

Hermione looks up when she said hissing and asked," Did it sound like the hissing I made last year at the dueling club demo when the snake was conjured?"

Jocelyn looks over at Hermione and curtsies," Yes ma'am. It sounds exactly like that now that you mention it."

Hermione looks around the table and says," well, it looks like our tour will start with the Slytherin common room."

Everyone gets up and heads down to the dungeons to see what the fuss is about. Meanwhile Jocelyn Amber hurries ahead to warn her housemates.

As she rounds the last corner to the common room entrance her house mates spot her and one of the older students asks impatiently," How did it go? Is Professor Snape coming to fix the problem?"

"The Queen is coming. With her family." She responds.

"Mud bloods and muggles," The student mutters under his breath," Salazar Slytherin will be rolling over in his grave."

Hermione, who had overheard the comment, came around the corner with a smirk on her face and walked up to the door with Harry and the rest right behind her. She looks at the crowd who bow or curtsy back at her and then back at the door.

"_**Why have you not let the ssstudentsss enter?"**_ she asks in parseltongue.

"_**They do not know the passss word,"**_ the snake in the portrait hisses back.

"_**The ssstudentsss do not ssspeak parssseltongue,"**_ Hermione hisses.

"_**The massster sssaysss they are not worthy to enter ssso he changed the passs word,"**_ the snake hisses_**,"**__**He alssso sssaysss only a ssspeaker may enter."**_

"_**Tell me the passsword and I will sssort it out with the massster,"**_ Hermione commands.

"_**Very well missstresss. The passsword is Pure of Heart."**_ The snake hisses and opens the portrait door.

Hermione turns to the students and says," Go inside and wait in the common room. I will get this straightened out in a minute."

She stays at the door while all of the Slytherin students and her family enter the common room. As soon as they enter the portrait above the fireplace scowls at them and demands," How did you unworthy students get in here and what are these muggles doing here. It is not safe for them to be in the castle."

The student who muttered in the hallway smirked to himself, feeling vindicated, until Hermione walks up to the portrait, crosses her arms, and with a scowl of her own says," Hello Grandfather."

The portrait looks down at her and hisses_**," Who are you to call me grandfather?" **_

Hermione stands up to her full height and along with Harry floats up to the height of the portrait and looks it right in the eyes, her own glowing with power, and hisses_**," I am Queen Hermione Jane Ravenclaw Ssslytherin Potter Pendragon. This isss my husssband, King Harold Hufflepuff Gryffindor Potter Pendragon. By right of Excalibur we are the rightful king and queen of Britain and dessscendent of all four foundersss." **_

The portrait looks at her and Harry, noticing the sword hanging at his side, and smiles at them. He bows at them and says in English," Well said granddaughter. Only a true Slytherin would have been able to stand up to me like that. Married a Potter eh? I knew some Potters in my day and they were good people."

The Potters float back down to the floor where she asks," Why did you change the password and then have the snake only speak parseltongue to the students?"

"Since I woke up I have been observing the students and all they talk about is their pureblood heritage. Even the password was pureblood. How disgusting. I changed the password to Pure of Heart which is the true heritage of Slytherin house. In my day only those students who were pure to their magic and were cunning enough to stay beneath the notice of the muggle authorities were allowed in my house. Each founder cherished different aspects of magic and took students according to their own ways." He said.

The students and Professor Snape gathers around the portrait looking at the founder of their house in awe when the portrait speaks up and says," There is no such thing as a pure blood witch or wizard. Everyone that has magic is descended from another magical person. Magic may skip a generation now and then but you are still just witches and wizards. Blood is only good for one thing and that is keeping you alive. It's good for rituals and some magic but that is all. Trying to keep your bloodline pure, by your standards, will do nothing but deplete your magic. By marrying cousins and other relations, which is a disgusting way to insure your family line, you guarantee that your line will die out from inbreeding. Your family name and achievements is all you need to insure your family heritage and good name is carried on. Slytherins are known for having ambition to make something of themselves and having the cunning it takes to achieve their goals. Being pure of heart means you are can to do this with a clear conscience and with integrity and dignity."

"That's what we have been trying to teach them since we arrived in first year grandfather," Hermione says," ever since Voldemort went on a rampage back in the seventies spouting all of his pureblood nonsense and claiming you wanted the world cleansed of all half-bloods and mud-bloods he had no trouble finding like-minded people and starting a war. The ironic thing about it was he isn't a pure blood himself. His father was a mundane and his mother was an inbred witch that had very little magic left."

"Mundane," he asks?

"That's the term we are trying to get magicals to use when referring to non-magical people." Harry says," It's more dignified and correct. The mundane people are about two hundred years ahead of us in technology. They have landed a man on the moon and have machines exploring the surface of Mars. What we do with magic they can do most of it with their science."

"Who are all of the adults around you?" he wants to know.

Hermione looks at her father and beacons him forward," This is my father George Granger, he is your direct descendent which magic skipped over. His parents, my grandparents, were killed when he was very young and he didn't know about his heritage until recently."

"How do you do grandfather," George says," My wife Helen and I couldn't be more proud of Harry and Hermione. They have done wonders for our world already and have definitely lived up to your pure of heart heritage. They are Elders too, you know, and that makes them very special in our hearts."

"Elders you say?" he puffs up his chest in pride while looking at the couple with love in his eyes," There hasn't been one of them since Merlin and I have two of them in my family. It certainly is ambitious to want to change the world for the better and I bet they are cunning enough to pull it off too."

"The ladies standing beside my father are my mother Helen and my grandmother Constance Richardson. Both are descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw." She flashes both of her rings to show she is truthful," the other couple is Jonathan and Martha Kent from the United States of America. That is a large country on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean that started out as a colony of Britain. Martha is my mother's twin sister. They were separated at birth and their magical cores were dormant until they met a few days ago. Now they are both witches that need training."

She gestures Professor Snape forward and says," This is your head of house Severus Snape. The youngest potions master in the history of Britain and one of the best teachers in the school."

"Please to meet you sir," Severus says with a smile," These two have been the most amazing students I have ever had the pleasure to teach."

The portrait looks over at him and says," We will have to talk then about the best way to bring this house back to the way it should be, with none of this pure blood nonsense."

"I look forward to it," Professor Snape says with a bow.

"Happy Christmas Grandfather," Hermione says," We will see you after the start of term."

"Happy Christmas to you and Harry as well," he says smiling at them.

Hermione shows the group around the common room which is all in green and silver with the Slytherin banner on the back wall.

"As you can see," she says," There are plenty of tables and comfortable chairs to help our students relax and give them a common place to study and visit with friends. Salazar Slytherin is one of four founders of the school and Hogwarts has four of these common rooms, one for each founder, with dormitories for the students. The students are sorted based on their personalities and needs. I'm sure, after hearing Grandfather, that you understood Slytherin students were selected based on their ambitious nature and their determination to achieve their goals. Each founder has their own ideals for students in their house. Let's move on and we'll show you Gryffindor next."

Harry and Hermione lead the group through the school showing each of the houses and explaining the differences, finally getting to the Hufflepuff common room.

As they enter the room Hermione says," This has been our home away from home for the last two and a half years. Harry and my quarters are over here."

She leads them over to the portrait of the badger and kits and says the password. The door opens and they all go in. The adults look around in admiration of the fine quarters the children have.

"Nice place you have here," Mr. Granger says.

"Thanks dad," Harry replies.

"Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Martha," Harry says," there is someone else we would like you to meet."

They look at him with raised eyebrows and a question in their eyes?

Hermione calls out," **Headwig**?"

There is a large flash of white light as Hedwig flames in and starts singing happy notes to everyone.

"This is Hedwig, our familiar and companion," Hermione says," She's a Phoenix and has been with us since we completed our bond."

Everyone gathers around the perch admiring the phoenix as she preens her feathers while singing softly.

"Let's open presents," Harry declares.

The house elves made sure all of the Christmas presents were there for everyone in the family. Harry and Hermione got several games to play with their parents and some new clothes. Clark got a tricycle to ride around the farm on as well as a wagon to haul stuff around in. He got several toy cars and trucks including a bright new fire engine with a working ladder (AN: I have a grandson about his age) and also got new clothes. The adults all got various gifts that were practical in nature and everyone was happy.

Hermione turns to her grandmother and asks," Gran, would you like to come to America with us for the rest of the holidays? You could visit with Aunt Martha and Uncle Jonathan and see where they live."

"I'd be delighted to, if they'll have me," she says with hope in her eyes as she looks at Martha.

"Of course she can come over," Jonathan says when his wife looks at him," she's welcome anytime. After all she's family."

Harry looks at Mr. Granger and says," we own a dairy farm about an hour from the Kent's farm and we can stay there while the women get reacquainted."

"That sounds fine Harry," Mr. Granger says.

Harry and Hermione walk over to Professor Dumbledore and give him a hug.

"I'm glad we got to bring the family to meet you grandpa and show them the castle where we spend most of our year," Harry says.

"I'm glad you could come Harry," Albus says, "It's been a pleasure meeting the rest of your family."

"They're your family too grandpa and by the way," Harry says," The castle will stay in this configuration as it is the original look the castle had back in King Arthur's day. The thrones will disappear and a table for you and Mrs. McGonagall will appear in their place. The round table and thrones will only appear for official functions."

After the gifts were cleared up and the elves took them to their respective homes, Harry and Hermione walk to the center of the room where he conjures a large hoop which he taps with his finger and says,"Portus."

The ring glows blue for a second and Hermione calls out," Everyone with a one way ticket to Metropolis grab hold. Flight time is 30 seconds. Gran, all you have to do is call Giles and he will bring whatever you need."

Everyone going gathers around the hoop and grabs on with one hand. Harry and Hermione wave good bye to Grandpa and Harry says," Okay everyone. Remember to kick your feet like you are walking and you will be fine. **Activate!**"

With a bright colorful flash the group disappears and Albus goes back to Main hall to continue with the festivities.

Meanwhile at the Granger suite in Metropolis the maid gets a fright as a bright light coalesces in the middle of the room and a group of people appear out of thin air.

Harry spots the maid and says," Oops. I hope we didn't frighten you miss. Did you see the news about the fire at the train yard?"

She nods yes.

"Good," he gestures Hermione over," Hermione and I are the beings you saw on the telly and this is just one of our forms."

She looks at them with disbelief in her eyes; when they change into their Pantheras personalities.

"Do you believe us now," he asks?

She nods," It's a pleasure to meet you two. You were great with that fire and I, for one, am glad you came to our planet. Heaven knows we need the help."

"We were actually born in England and Hermione's parents are standing right over there," He says pointing them out," We are checking out today so you can tell your friends you met us if you want."

"That's alright," she says," I will keep this to myself. Who would believe me anyway?"

Hunter walks over and gives her a kiss on the cheek and whispers," It will be our secret then."

He leads her to the door where he lets her out.

"What was the kiss for Harry?" Hermione asks with a curious look on her face.

"With the kiss I altered her memory a little. She will remember meeting us, but will not remember where, and will get a good feeling when she thinks about us. Didn't want her leaving frightened." Hunter says while morphing back into Harry. Huntress follows suite and they all start packing for the trip to Kansas.

"Jeeves," Harry calls out.

Jeeves pops in and bows," How may I serve you."

"Please arrange a limousine to pick us up for a trip to Kansas." Harry says.

"Already taken care of sir," he says," your car will be waiting when you are ready."

"Very good," Harry replies.

Once everyone is packed and ready to go; Mr. Granger calls down to the front desk asking for a bellhop to bring a luggage cart to the suite.

With the bellhop towing the cart behind, the group proceeds down to the lobby to check out. Once they arrive at the desk harry says," My treat." He pulls out his Gringotts card to pay for the room.

"That won't be necessary sir," the manager says with his staff standing behind him nodding their heads in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Harry asks.

"When I found out you were related to Charlus Potter and the Grangers were your guardians, your name came up on our VIP list. Your grandfather helped our founder, Conrad Hilton, out of a tight spot when he was just starting out in the early part of the century. He was very grateful to your grandfather and never charged him when he needed a place to stay while on business. The Potters are always welcome in a Hilton Hotel anywhere in the world at no charge." He says.

"Wow. My grandfather sure got around when he was young. Please send our regards to the current head of the company and tell them we will do our best to follow in grandfather's footsteps and send business your way." Harry replied, shaking the manager's hand.

"You're very welcome sir and please come back next time you are in Metropolis." He says.

With that, everyone proceeded to the door which was opened by the doorman and got into the limousine which Jeeves was holding open for them. Once everyone was in and seated, Jeeves drove off looking for a deserted street so no one would notice the car disappear. Once said street was found, he turned onto it and after going far enough he pushed a button on the dashboard and the car translated to a lane just south of Smallville. The Kent's are amazed at the sudden change in scenery but were glad to be back home. City life was definitely not for them. Driving through town the Potter name on the license plate gets a lot of attention, especially on a limousine, which is hardly ever seen in Smallville.

"Why is everyone staring?" Hermione asks.

"It could be because a limo is a very rare vehicle for Smallville or it could be your name on the license plate," Uncle Jonathan says," You do own the dairy farm that we get most of our dairy products from."

"I really need to get with Gringotts and find out just how many businesses we own," Harry says to Hermione. She just nods in agreement.

Jeeves drives them to the Kent farm and as they turn in Harry notices a van parked on the side of the road and two men up on the telephone pole, apparently working on the lines. Jeeves parks and they all get out of the car and go in the house for lunch. Since this was Christmas day everyone decided to sit in the living room and watch Clark ride his tricycle while pulling the wagon.

While Clark was playing Harry looks over at Martha and asks," Has Clark shown any of his abilities yet, besides the accidental flying he did yesterday?"

"No not yet. What do you mean by accidental?" she asks.

Harry defers to Hermione to explain, as she loves explaining things.

She smiles at Harry and sits up a little straighter," When a magical child does magic before the age of eleven it is considered accidental and usually starts at around age eight. It is usually emotion driven such as not letting the child have something he or she wants. In my case I was four and mum wanted me to quit reading and go to bed. She took the book from me and put it where I couldn't reach it. I got upset and reached for the book and it came floating back to me. We already knew I was going to be magical but this was the first indication that I was. Clark may look two and a half but he is six mentally and will always seem more mature than his body appears. He may start manifesting his powers at what will seem like an early age and we wanted to make sure you were aware."

"What should we look for?" Jonathan asked.

"Let's go outside to a secluded spot where none of the neighbors can observe us accidentally and Hermione and I will show you some of what he will be able to do," Harry says.

They all don their coats and walk out to the barn.

"Clark is probably strong already because Krypton's gravity is about ten times the gravity of Earth. He will be able to jump a long distance and run really fast because of this. The Kryptonian's were a sought after people for this reason and made excellent law enforcement officers." Harry states.

He leans down and picks up a rock and hands it to Clark.

"See if you can squeeze this until it breaks Clark," Harry says.

He takes the rock in his hand and squeezes it making a popping sound as dust falls from his fingers.

"I already know to be careful with my grip," Clark says," my teachers in the ship taught me that much at least."

"The powers I have already mentioned are natural for him due to his genetics and will stay with him no matter where in the Galactic Community he goes. The powers generated by the Yellow star of this system will manifest themselves as he gets older and his body and mentality mature enough to handle them. Flying is one of them and even though he did some accidental flying yesterday it takes discipline to do it without thinking about it. Hermione and I started out by floating a few inches above the ground and eventually we got to where we could fly at will. Our special sight, which is long distance viewing and x-ray vision, came about in our first year at Hogwarts. We were elven and twelve respectively. Our laser vision came a year later quite by accident as we needed a way to defeat a basilisk. We are still not sure what will show up later as we age. In our case our powers are a permanent part of our genetics and not dependent on star type," Harry says as he walks over to a post and sets a candle on top," Hermione, if you will?"

She nods at him and looks at the candle wick concentrating. Two very thin beams of red light emit from her eyes and ignite the wick.

"You may have seen us use our laser vision to separate those wrecked train carriages at the yard fire," Hermione says," Hopefully it will be a few years before Clark manifests that one."

"You may have figured out that Clark cannot be hurt so you don't have to worry about falls or broken arms. The records we gave you will have all of his immunizations through high school. If you have a doctor in town you trust implicitly you can tell him about Clark or better yet, tell the schools he goes to a private clinic," Harry says," Just call us if an issue comes up."

While the adults were talking Clark wanders over to where a tractor is sitting on jacks for tire replacement. He crawls under the tractor to get a tool that caught his eye when the jack fails, bringing the tractor down on top of him.

Martha was watching Clark and when the jack failed she cries out in horror," **Clark!**"

Everyone starts to rush over to the tractor when it starts rising seemingly by itself revealing Clark lifting the whole tractor off the ground. Hermione raises her hands and a null gravity field appears around the tractor raising it high enough for Martha to reach Clark, where she pulls him into her arms crying and checking him over for damage. Jonathan runs and gets a pair of jack stands and sets them up so Hermione can set the tractor down.

Aunt Martha hugs Hermione and says," Thank you so much. What was that bubble surrounding the tractor?"

"That was magic. It was mine and Harry's form of the levitation spell. Because of our knowledge of the universe it manifests itself as a null gravity field instead of a normal spell. When you get your wand and training you will be able to do that. Should come in quite handy around the farm. Just remember you can't be seen performing magic except in emergencies. You will need to register your farm with the US Magical Government," she says.

Just as she said that they heard a couple of pops and two people appeared out of thin air with wands drawn. Harry and Hermione immediately move in front of the family and hold out their hands, ready to defend if necessary.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Harry demands with an air of authority.

One of the men pull a badge from his pocket and flips it open to show his ID. Harry wiggles a finger and summons the badge to his hand to the surprise of the man. He reads the badge: Harvey Hernandez, US Dept of Magical Defense.

"Magical defense?" Harry asks while sending the badge back to him.

"You sound British," Harvey says," We came when magic was detected where no magic has ever been performed before."

"We are British. My name is Lord Harry James Potter and the lovely lady beside me is my wife, the Lady Hermione Jane Potter."

"I've heard of you," Harvey says," Who performed the magic and what was it? It was something we have never seen before. We also need to know if this going to be permanent so we can register this location as magical."

"The magic was performed by me," Hermione says," It was a null gravity field. Mine and my Husbands version of the levitation charm."

Harvey's eyes widen and he asks," You can do that? What do you mean your version and can anyone else do one?"

"Harry and I can do it because we understand how null gravity works and can cast the charm. To answer your second question, you aren't ready for it yet." She says.

"What does that mean?" he asks indignantly," America is not like Britain, we aren't two hundred years behind like you are. We have kept up to date with our mundane brethren. We incorporate technology in our magic."

"It means you have to understand how the technology of null gravity works in order to duplicate it with a charm." She explains," Earth is not ready for the technology yet. It may be ready in a few years if the seed we planted takes root and grows."

"What seed would that be?" he asks," are you growing plants of some kind?"

She laughs and says," No, not plants. Null gravity technology requires superconductors to work. We gave some metallurgists the formula for Trinium, which is a metal that **can** be produced with current technology and will eventually lead to superconductors. Once superconductors become commonplace, **then** fusion reactors can be built and miniaturized to power the circuits required for null gravity to work. When you learn to build fusion reactors safely, **then** you will be ready and we will be here to help."

"How can you be so sure of yourselves about this unless…" he pauses as he looks at his partner and realization hits the two men.

"Looks like you figured it out," Harry says," We are the Elders of the Universe and the technology helps us get from planet to planet."

The two men put their wands away and bow formally to the couple and Harvey says," we are honored to be in your presence Elders. Is there anything the US Dept of Magical Defense can do for you?"

"This is a convenience of sorts as we need to find Aunt Martha a wand maker and a tutor since she and her sister, my mother, just had their magic cores restored," Hermione says.

"What happened to their cores?" Harvey asks.

"My mother and Aunt Martha are twins and they were separated at birth by my Grandfather and never got the chance to bond as twins." She says.

"Ah, I understand now. They are two halves of a whole and now that the connection is established they can become the witches they were meant to be. I know just the perfect person to tutor you and the nearest magical community is in Glendale. Wait a minute. You said your name is Potter didn't you?"

He looks at both of them and they nod.

"You wouldn't be the Potter's that own the dairy farm and plant there would you?"

They nod again.

"That makes things a whole lot simpler. The whole town of Glendale is magical and everything you will need can be bought there. Everyone there either works for you, Mr. Potter, or a business that supports you. That is where our office is and it will be good for the town to know you are there. Maybe we can arrange a New Year's Eve party for the town. It would sure raise a lot of spirits and make the people proud to know they work for the Elders." He says happily.

"I think that is a good idea, as we were going to inspect the farm and plant tomorrow. We were planning to stay at the main farm house for the rest of our holiday until we have to go back to England." Harry says.

"That's great news. You should probably meet our regional supervisor during the week to introduce yourselves and set up any working relationship you might need with the magical government as Elders," Harvey explains," By the way, excuse my rudeness." Turning to his partner he says by way of introduction," this is my partner and longtime friend, Sonny Eaglefeather. He is a member of the Kiowa tribe."

Harry and Hermione each shake hands with Sonny when Harry says," It's an honor to meet you. I'm sure your ancestors are proud of your accomplishments."

"Thank you," he says," I am very proud of my ancestry. My grandfather is shaman of our tribe and we mix mundane and magicals together. We always have."

"That is very good news," Hermione says," We are hoping to eventually accomplish that goal with the rest of the planet."

"Would everyone like some hot cocoa," Martha asked?

As the group turned to go out of the barn Harry and Hermione looked up and froze. Standing in barn door was a group of men in suites and overcoats with guns pointed at them.

"NSA," one of the men says," stay where you are and keep your hands where we can see them."

As the group raised their hands Harry wiggled his little finger on his right hand, freezing the men in place. He then summoned their guns and after ejecting the clips from each gun he then proceeded to wad each one into a small ball of metal with his hands. When he was finished he dropped what was left of the guns at their feet.

"You will never threaten my family again," Harry states with his eyes glowing an emerald green. He waves his hand again and they all disappear.

"Where did you send them Harry," Hermione asks?

"I erased their memories of our existence and sent them to their families." He says," As far as they know they have been at home on leave the whole holiday season."

"There is still one in the house." Hermione states.

"I know," Harry says," He's probably their boss. Let's go see what he wants."

He summons the balls he made of their guns while banishing the clips and puts the balls of metal in his pocket. The group walks to the front of the house where Harry leads the way in, followed by Hermione and the rest.

The man hears the noise made by the entry and Calls out," Wilson, did you get them?"

"I'm afraid Wilson won't remember even being here. Who are you and what do you want?" Harry demands.

The man goes for his gun, but before he can even get it out Harry summons it to his hand and does the same thing he did with the other guns. He banished the clip and dropped all the balls on the floor at the man's feet.

"These metal balls are all that's left of your men's weapons. You will find your men are all at home with their families with no memory of ever being here. Now I repeat. Who are you and what do you want?" Harry demands again.

The man looks at them nervously but stands up to them and says," I am agent David Haralson of the NSA. We tracked a meteor some time ago and became suspicious when it seemed to suddenly disappear. It should have hit the ground and made a sizable crater. It was too large to burn up without leaving a trace. About the same time, the Kent's turn up with a newly adopted baby. We knew they weren't looking as there were no records of inquiry at any of the orphanages around here or anywhere in the US. It seems I was justified in my investigation when you turn up here and have these mysterious powers."

"Did you see the news reports of the fire in the train yard in Metropolis where the strange beings put out the fire and repaired the yard?" Hermione asks?

Mr. Haralson nods and says," Yes, that was the most amazing thing I have ever seen."

"That was us," Hermione says as they morph into their Pantheras personas," We also prevented that meteor from damaging the Kent's crops, which would have been a disaster for them."

They morph back into their normal appearance and look at him with their arms crossed.

"Then, what are you doing here?" Mr. Haralson asks.

"If you remember the interview we gave the reporters, you should also remember we said we were in America visiting relatives. The Kent's are our aunt and uncle from my mother's side of the family." Hermione says," We came to visit when we heard that the adoption had gone through. We were excited to get a new cousin to visit and play with."

While they were talking Jonathan went and got the adoption papers thinking he would need them. When he gets back he hands the papers to the agent so he could look them over.

"I don't recognize this agency. They must be new." He says while reading the papers.

"No, they are a very old agency," Harry says," They just keep client confidentiality a top priority."

"Everything seems to be in order Mr. and Mrs. Kent." He says," I'm terribly sorry I put you through all of this, especially on Christmas day, but I had to act in the best interests of the country, and maybe the planet. You had disappeared for two days suddenly and then reappeared just as suddenly. That is what triggered the raid today. I will take full responsibility and I am good at keeping secrets."

"Good, you can be our contact with the US government when we need it. Give your contact information to agent Hernandez and we will contact you through him when we are ready to speak to your president." Harry says.

He looks over at agent Hernandez in surprise," Harvey? That you? Haven't seen you since basic training. How are you?" he says as he shakes his hand.

"I'm doing well Dave. This is my partner, Sunny Eaglefeather." He says by way of introduction.

Martha sensed everything was alright and went to the kitchen to prepare hot chocolate for everyone. When she was done she came back with a tray filled with cups of hot cocoa and set it on the table where everyone helped themselves.

"I want to thank you for the hot chocolate Mrs. Kent," Mr. Haralson says," Especially after what I put you through today."

"My name's Martha." She says," you were just doing your job and it is good to know our government is up to it. Besides, considering who we are related to, it is a good thing to have a contact in the government to act as a go between. If my niece and nephew trust you then we do too."

"Thank you for the kind words Martha," Harvey says," Well, I better get going. My wife thinks I am out getting a pie for dessert for tonight."

"We'd better go too then," Harvey says.

The group sees the agents out the door and then all gather back in the living room.

"That was certainly an unexpected surprise," Mr. Granger says.

"It was unexpected, but we now have the contacts we need from both the mundane and magical governments." Harry says.

"Yes, this will help us immensely with what we have to do in the not too distant future," Hermione agrees.

"What are you planning for the near future?" Mr. Granger asks.

"We have already given a new metal to the metallurgists, as you heard earlier. This will revolutionize how things are made on this planet. We plan to give the metal to Russia and China as well as a few other smaller countries. Our magic as Elders will prevent the metal from being used for weapons. We also will be going to the Middle East where the Americans recently fought a war. (The Gulf War 90'-91'). Someone, or multiple someone's, is using Islam as an excuse to start wars and control people for political reasons that have nothing to do with their religion. Islam is supposed to be a peaceful religion same as Christianity. The culture is different than ours so we will go and see if we can find out what's going on," Harry says.

"Won't that be dangerous?" Jonathan asks?

"Not to us. We are invulnerable and can disillusion ourselves so as not to be seen unless needed," Hermione says," We need to find out who is stirring up trouble and see if we, as Elders, can solve the issues. This is just one of the many small steps that will be needed to bring the planet closer to becoming united under one government."

"Your father and I have faith in you two," Mrs. Granger says," We know you can pull it off."

"Thanks mum," Hermione replies.

At that moment Glenda pops in and announces," Dinner is served."

That got everyone's attention as they all went into the dining room for the family Christmas dinner. As they were sitting around the dining table eating Harry asked," Uncle Jonathan? Do you have room for all of us for tonight? Hermione and I can expand the house by adding more rooms if they are needed."

"Not necessary Harry," Uncle Jonathan says," There are five bedrooms in this house. Four of which, sat empty for too long."

Aunt Martha takes up the conversation," Now that we are blessed with Clark we still have three left over. Harry and Hermione can have the one next to Clark while Helen and George can have the one across the hall from them. Mum, oh how I love that word, can stay next to them on the same side of the hall. That reminds me. I need to get the linens out and set up the rooms."

Glenda pops in, curtsies and says," I will take care of that for you mistress."

As she pops away Martha says," My, that will take some getting used to. I can see having her and her husband working here is going to spoil us rotten."

"Yes, we had the same problem. Don't try to talk them out of calling you master or mistress. It won't do any good. I know. I've tried." Harry says while Hermione giggles a little at the memory she was sharing with her husband.

As everyone was finishing their meal Harry looks at Hermione, who gives him a nod and a smile, and then turns to Clark," Why don't you show us your room Clark and show us what Santa brought you for Christmas. Maybe we could play some games."

"Oh boy," Clark says and runs to the stairs as fast as his feet would carry him. Which, considering who he is, is quite fast.

"Slow down Clark," his mother calls out.

"Yes mom," Clark replies.

While the adults talked about adult things the children did what all children do on Christmas day. Play with their new toys. After a couple of hours of play time it was Clark's bed time as five o'clock comes early. That is the time most farmers are up in the morning getting ready for their day. Even though the crops were in, the equipment needed maintenance and it wasn't going to do itself. Everyone said good night to each other and settled into their rooms for the night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 33: An Interesting Christmas, Day Five, Boxing Day**

The next morning everyone got up to the smell of a sumptuous breakfast waiting on them in the dining room.

"That smells wonderful," Jonathan says smiling," A person could get used to this."

Glenda curtsies and says," Thank you Mr. K"

"You're welcome Glenda," Jonathan says.

"Mr. K?" Harry asks.

"Best I could get from them. Better than master." Jonathan says with a grimace.

"At least that will pass muster with the locals without sounding suspicious," Hermione says smiling while she takes a sip of her coffee," Ahh, I so love my coffee in the mornings."

Everyone snickers and digs into their food.

When everyone had finished Harry announces," Who is up for a trip to Glendale and the dairy farm?"

Everyone raises their hand and don coats to proceed out to the limo for the ride. After about forty minutes into the ride Harry and Hermione notice a three rail white fence pop into view on their left and notice the horses and cattle running loose. The fence seemed to run towards the back and along the road as far as they could see. Another two miles brought them to an arched gate with a large sign that said "The Magic Elf Dairy and Equestrian Center" and in small letters below:" a division of Potter Industries." The limo turned left through the gate, catching the eyes of everyone there.

"Did you see that?" one elderly lady customer says," Potter on the license plate."

"We get to finally meet the owners, hopefully," The person standing next to her says.

As they turn into the parking area they see a large building on the right, facing the road, with a sign that says "General Store" with about fifty parking spaces in front of it. On the left is another large building facing the drive that was the riding stables. It has about twenty five spaces in front. The entrance drive continues through the parking area toward the left side of the store where it curves around to a large wrought iron gate with a large "P" on it that hasn't opened in some thirty five years. The gate magically scans the occupants of the limo and swings open when it recognizes the Potters.

"Definitely the owners," The customer says again," That gate hasn't opened for anyone in a very long time. It'll be good to have the Lord and Lady back again."

"What do you mean?" the person standing next to her asks?

The elderly lady looks over to her companion and says," I see you are too young to remember, but the Potter family are British royalty. That will probably be the grandson of the man that bought Glendale and made it what it is today."

"He'll be magical then." He says.

"Most likely," She replies.

They separate and go on their way with her going to the General Store while he goes to the stables to take his horse out for a ride.

Meanwhile the limo pulls up in front of a colonial style red brick two story home with white columns and shutters on each side of the windows on the home. The Potter crest is displayed proudly next to the double front doors which open as they approach with an elf in the doorway bowing towards them.

"Welcome to your home in Glendale, Lord and Lady," He says.

"Thank you…" Hermione hesitates?

"Franklin, M'lady," He responds," You're welcome."

"Would you mind showing us around?" Harry asks?

The elf turns and leads them into the house where the door closes itself. The entrance way opens up into a large Fourier with a wide stair case curving around the right side with a polished mahogany banister going up to the second floor. (We're in America now) To the left of the stairs is a French double glass paned doorway leading into the main part of the house with a formal dining room to the right and a master study on the left. Beyond that is a modern kitchen with a smaller dining room for regular family meals. The hall empties out into a large gaming room with a billiard and snooker table along with a few pinball machines. (AN: I always wanted a game room like that). The second floor consists of six large bedrooms, each with a king size four poster bed and en-suite bathroom using runes for water and waste. No cold water in this house. There was a stair at the end of the upstairs hall that went up to the observatory, which had a decent telescope and good view of the country side. When the tour was finished they all gathered back in the entrance area.

"Uncle Jonathan," Harry says getting his attention," I need you to accompany Hermione and I to meet the manager of the facility so we can introduce you as the family representative for the center. I don't plan on interfering in operations as it seems to be doing just fine as is. But I want you to be known in case you are needed for a decision that only a family member can make. I have no problem deferring to your judgment running this type of facility."

"Thank you Harry," He says, gesturing towards the door" Shall we?"

Harry looks at the others and says," Hermione, Uncle Jonathan and I have to do this, the rest can follow along or relax and get settled in. We will be here until after the New Year, so there is plenty of time to look around and go shopping."

The ladies decide they will stay in where it is warm and let the younger folk do what is necessary.

The trio walks down the lane and notice a private entrance to the store in the back. They go up the stairs to the door on the second floor and it opens as they approach.

The door is located between the general manager's office and the owner's suite and is never blocked. The manager notices the lights come on in the owner's suite a few seconds before the door opens and is up like a flash to greet his boss. The manager is a man that looks like he is in his early forties but in reality is nearer to eighty as he is a wizard and has been here since the business opened. He was friends with Mr. Potter and was left in charge when he went back to Britain all those years ago. He hadn't heard anything since and hoped everything was alright. He was a bit surprised when a thirteen and fourteen year old pair of teenagers entered followed by someone he recognized. He could sense the power radiating from the pair and immediately bowed to them saying," Welcome to the Magic Elf Dairy and Equestrian Center My Lord."

"You don't have to bow to us sir," Harry responds while reaching out to shake his hand.

"I know, but I respect your station," Would you introduce me to your lady friend? I already know Mr. Kent from business dealings."

The Harry could sense he was a wizard so he said," This is my wife and soul mate, Lady Hermione Potter."

He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles while she blushes," Nice to meet you too my Lady."

"My name is Mr. Worthington and I knew your grandfather Mr. Potter." He says by way of introduction," Shall we go into your suite and talk?"

Harry notices the door with his name on it and opens it for everyone to enter. He walks around and sits behind the desk with Hermione sitting beside him. With a wave of his hand he conjures comfortable chairs for Mr. Worthington and Uncle Jonathan.

"How do you know Mr. Kent?" Mr. Worthington asks.

"His wife is my mother's twin sister," Hermione says," They were separated at birth and just got together this last week. We just found out about this place a couple of days ago. We are very impressed so far and have no intentions of interfering in day to day operations."

"Uncle Jonathan is here at my request as he knows how to run a large farm and will be the family contact for any major decisions that need to be made," Harry takes over from Hermione," He has a direct connection to us and we can be here on a short notice when needed."

Mr. Worthington turns to Mr. Kent and shakes his hand," Welcome aboard," This will make decisions about capital expenditures a lot easier to get approved."

The sign on the door recognized Harry's command and changed to read from top to bottom: Harry and Hermione Potter and below that was Jonathan Kent.

"This will be your office Uncle Jonathan when we are not here and we will definitely rely on your advice for those kinds of decisions," Harry says.

He looks back at Mr. Worthington and says," Since you are the leader of this part of my operations we will tell you some things you need to know."

"What would that be?" he asks worriedly and then looks over at Jonathan to see him smiling back at him.

"You'll like this," he says.

Harry and Hermione look at each other and stand up. They morph into their Pantheras personas and say in unison," We are the Pantheras, Hunters of Truth and Justice; we are also the Elders of the Universe. We are here to bring this world into the Galactic Community of Planets."

He had seen the news casts like most of the world and was in awe of them, realizing now why he sensed the power in them.

They returned to their normal look and Harry says," We found out that Glendale is a magical town with mundane and magical people living and working together. This is our ultimate goal for the whole planet and people like you are who we need to lead the movement towards that goal."

"That's a tall order that will take years to accomplish," He says.

"Due to our soul bond, Hermione and I are immortal, so we will make it happen. We want to explore Glendale and see how everyone gets on and see about establishing other towns like this one. America is probably the best place to start as there is no discrimination once the facts are understood. This will have to be done one town at a time to slowly change the way people think. We are going to take a tour of Glendale later in the week and meet the mayor and get his input. Also we want to arrange a big New Year's Eve celebration. Since the Center is close to Smallville and Uncle Jonathan's farm, this will be our home in America that we visit most often." Harry says.

"That is very welcome news sir," Mr. Worthington says," and you can call me Charles, as I was good friends with your grandfather when he lived here."

"Very well Charles," Harry says," We should let the rest of the senior staff know we are here and who we are."

Charles gets up and goes into his office a moment, where he uses the intercom to call in his staff," All senior staff to the owner's suite."

As the staff came in and Harry saw how many there were he conjured chairs for all of them to get comfortable and asked them to be seated. They all looked at him and Hermione curiously as they appeared so young and worried about the changes that might be coming. Some were worried about their jobs thinking they might not meet up with the owner's standards. Their worries were put to rest when Harry spoke up.

"First, introductions are in order," Harry says," On my left is my wife and equal in every way, Hermione Potter. On my right is our Uncle Jonathan Kent, who lives in Smallville."

"I had Charles call you all here to introduce our selves and to find out who you are," Harry continues," Charles says you all do an outstanding job, so I will defer to his judgment in this regard. The only policy I have, is do your jobs well and honestly. If you find a discrepancy of any kind or a customer that has special needs let Charles know and if he can't make it happen he will contact our uncle who has the means to contact us anywhere in the world. I want to make the Center the best place in the area for boarding and riding horses and the General Store the supply depot that everyone wants to shop at."

With that said, Harry and Hermione stand and go around the desk to greet each staff member individually and shake their hands. Everyone in the room could feel the power and confidence coming from the couple and knew they were in good hands. And to prove they were still children; Hermione turns to Harry and asks," Can we go see the horses now?"

Everyone chuckles and returns to work.

Harry turns to Uncle Jonathan and says," You can come with us to the stables or go back to the house if you like."

"I'll go with you. I want to see the horses too." He says smiling," I grew up riding and would like to take it up again."

"Good," Hermione says," You can teach Harry and me the proper way to handle a horse."

Harry and Hermione, followed by Uncle Jonathan, walk out the office doors and down the stairs to the main floor. As they walk towards the front doors every employee, who were really elves with their glamor on, bowed their heads when the couple passed. Harry and Hermione nods back at them without thinking about the effect it was having on the customers in the store.

When they made it out the doors one customer asks," What was that all about?"

One of the elf employees answered," They are the Elders of the Universe, also magical King and Queen of England. On top of all that, they are the nicest people you will ever meet."

"You've met them," she asks?

He nods at her and returns to work, refusing to say anything else about them.

Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione walk over to the stables and notice a vet's work vehicle parked by the entrance. Concerned, they hurry inside where they are met by the stable manager.

"No visitors until after lunch," He says.

"We're the Potters," Harry says," what's going on that you need the vet on the day after Christmas?"

"Well," he says nervously when he realizes who he is talking to," One of the mares is giving birth and one of the stallions broke a leg today and may have to be put down if the vet can't save it."

"Show us where the stallion is," Harry commands.

"Yes sir," the manager says and leads them into the stables to a stall where the vet has a horse up in a sling to keep the weight off his leg.

"How's he doing?" Hermione asks, concerned.

The vet looks up and sees two children with the stable manager and realizes they must be the owners everyone was talking about, especially with their accents giving them away.

"He is not doing well. I can't get the swelling to go down. I've given him a shot for the pain but I'm afraid it is all I will be able to do. I can end his life peacefully if you give the order."

"That won't be necessary," Hermione says forcefully," We'll take care of it."

"Uncle Jonathan, if you can keep him distracted, Hermione and I will fix his leg," Harry says.

Uncle Jonathan nods and walks to the front where he starts talking soothingly to the horse while Harry and Hermione get down on their knees by the broken leg. They each place a hand gently on either side of the swollen area and close their eyes to concentrate. Their hands take on a soft white glow as they heal the break, calming the horse down as the pain goes away. When the Potters are done, they stand up and with a wave of their hands the bandages vanish and the horse is lowered to the ground where it stands and stomps it hooves, testing the leg out. He whinnies in delight while turning around in the stall and nuzzles the Potters affectionately. Who said horses don't have feelings.

"Would you like to go for a ride boy?" Harry asks?

The horse nods his head in a big way and snorts.

"That was amazing," the vet says while the manager scratches the back of his head." I've been a vet for twenty three years and never seen anything like that. Thanks for not allowing me to put him down. I had heard stories about some horses being smart. He sure seems to like you and understands you as well."

"All horses are smart," Hermione says while rubbing the side of the stallions head," They just tend to ignore us dumb humans."

They heard a lot of whinnying and snorting start up and looked over to the other stalls where the other horses, which had been watching and listening in, were nodding and agreeing.

"See, told you," She says smiling while turning to the manager," I would like a nice mare to ride with my husband if you please."

One of the mares in another stall was stomping and nodding, indicating she was volunteering for the job. The manager gets the message and opens her stall where she walks up to Hermione and nuzzles her face. Uncle Jonathan picked a horse and showed the Potters how to saddle and put the bit in for the reins. They walked the horses outside where they mounted up and went for a ride up to the dairy farm.

On arrival they went inside to see how the cows were milked and didn't find what they imagined. They had both seen movies of cows being hooked up to machines and milked mechanically, but that was not what was happening here. Since the whole place was run by elves the cows were milked magically. An elf would place a bucket below the cow's udder and snap its finger and the bucked would start filling with milk. When it was full the elf would levitate the bucket to a large bin where it was poured in. The bin was lined with runes around the rim to insure impurities were filtered out and kept clean by an elf by a snap of its fingers. When the bin was full it would be levitated to a pumping station to be loaded into large tanker trucks where it was hauled to the processing plant. The whole milking area was kept clean and sanitary the same way. Runes on the floor of each stall made sure any waste from the cow was vanished as it came out. Each cow took a few minutes to milk and then they were turned out to pasture for a few days. The cows were rotated so that each one had time in the pasture before being brought in to be milked again. There were a **lot** of cows as this was the main source for dairy products in this region of the US. The elves all nodded to Harry and Hermione while keeping the operation running smoothly.

After inspecting the dairy operation the trio rode out along the fence line checking out the pasture where the cows were roaming. They rode over to the area where the horses were running and as they got inside the fence line the other horses gathered around them sensing that this couple was special. They paced the riders on each side and were whinnying and snorting to the stallion and mare like they were having a conversation of some kind. Harry and Hermione laughed at one point which caught the attention of the horses and Uncle Jonathan.

"You can understand them?" he asked with wide eyes?

"Yes," Hermione answers," Harry and I can understand all animals. We can't speak the horses language, because our vocal chords can't make the sounds right, but they can understand us when we talk. Any animal that has been around humans for long will pick up the language of the locals but mostly ignore us as not worth their time. Cats are a good example."

"Yea, you should see Crookshanks when he is in one of his moods," Harry says. Hermione laughs and agrees with her husband.

This was all observed by the stable manager who went back inside when they were approaching. As they got to the front they dismounted and led the horses back inside where Uncle Jonathan showed them how to remove and store the saddles and reins. Then he showed them how to brush down the horses coats and feed and water them.

"Thank you for that lovely ride," Hermione says to her mare while Harry was doing the same to the stallion," Would you like to ride again later in the week?"

The mare and stallion both nod their heads and walk into their stalls to eat and relax. They had a lot to tell their friends.

The manager walks up to his horse feeling a little silly but determined and asks," Is it true you can understand me?"

The horse nods and stomps its front hooves.

"Well I'll be. You can bet there will be changes around here in how we teach our riding students on how to treat their horses," he says smiling. He has always loved horses and knew how to train them but didn't know they were intelligent beings. This changed everything.

The Potters who were listening approached him," You are a good man sir. You finally understand don't you?"

"Yes I believe I do. I've loved horses all of my life and to know they understand me when I talk to them is a joy to my heart. I will have to learn how to interpret their language so I can meet their needs better," He says, "By the way, my name is Samuel Stone."

"Pleased to meet you Samuel," Harry says," This is my wife Hermione and our Uncle, Jonathan Kent."

They shook hands and talked some more about the business of running a stable. Harry and Hermione assured him that if he needed anything at all he could contact the Kent's with his request. After leaving the stables they walked back up to the house through the gate, which opened and closed for them automatically. The crowd outside watched them go with awe and respect in their eyes and hearts. The legend of Harry and Hermione Potter continues to grow.

Once arriving at the house the group goes inside and is met by Franklin, who takes their coats and hangs them in the hall closet.

"The ladies are in the game room sir," He says," Dinner will be served in a few minutes."

"Thank you Franklin," Hermione says.

He bows to them and pops away to alert the chef that the mastered have returned. As the trio approaches the game room they can hear the clacking of billiard balls hitting one another. When they walk in Mrs. Granger looks up and says:

"You're father and I like it here Hermione. We would like to come here as often as possible."

"We have already told Mr. Worthington that this will be our home in America," Harry responds, while Hermione nods in agreement," We will be going into town tomorrow to talk to the mayor and see about a New Year's celebration of some kind."

"That sounds like fun. Can we go as well?" she asks.

"Of course; one of the reasons for going is to get a wand for Aunt Martha and set up training for her," Harry replies," we'll get mum her wand from Ollivanders."

Franklin walks in and announces," Dinner is served."

Everyone follows him to the dining room where Harry takes his seat at the head of the table after holding Hermione's chair for her. They tuck in to a good ole American dinner of roast beef with potatoes and carrots along with a green bean casserole and yeast rolls with apple pie for desert. When dinner was done the guys went into the game room as they hadn't had a chance at the tables yet and soon Harry and Hermione were engrossed in a game of eight ball while Jonathan was on the pinball machines trying to see how many pints he could rack up. Clark was sitting on a high bar chair watching his father play while rooting him on. Soon it was getting on in the evening and it was time for bed. After saying good night everyone headed in that direction and settled in for the night.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 34: An Interesting Christmas Holiday, Day six, a Trip to Town part one**

After a good night's sleep, everyone woke up to the aroma of bacon and eggs cooking in the kitchen. Having gotten cleaned up for the day everyone made it to the dining room for a hearty breakfast where the discussion was light in anticipation of going into town today. When all were finished eating, they headed out to the front door, being held by Franklin as he handed them their coats, and walked out to the limo where Jeeves was waiting. They all climbed in and got comfortable while Jeeves drove them through the gate which had opened as they approached. He turned left onto the highway and drove to the flashing light where he then turned right to enter Glendale proper. The road widened as they got closer and a sign on the side said _**"Welcome to Glendale, Pop 1200, Home of Potter Industries."** _Houses appeared on either side of the road as they drove past the sign and they could see the town square up ahead. There was a statue in the center of the square of a man standing tall with a book in one hand and what looked like a wand in the other. He was wearing early nineteen hundreds garb and had a dignified look on his face. The square was surrounded by businesses all around and the courthouse on the back side. The courthouse was a three story structure of sandstone and brick with a tall clock tower above the entrance. Jeeves pulled the limo up to the curb and got out to open the door for his passengers. They were starting to attract a crowd as people were hoping to get a glimpse of the founder's family. The group went up the stairs toward the entrance doors where they were met by the Mayor and the Sheriff. Everyone shook hands and went inside to the mayor's office.

When everyone was seated and comfortable the mayor asks," What can I do for you Mr. and Mrs. Potter?"

"We mainly came to introduce our selves and to let you know we will be around. We met agent Hernandez recently and he mentioned a New Year's celebration and were wondering what we could do to help. We want to show the townspeople that we are here for them and appreciate all of the dedication they have shown towards Potter Industries." Harry says.

"What did you have in mind?" The Sheriff asks," I'll need to provide security."

"I was thinking of a ball for the adults and maybe a fair of some kind for the children. Money is no concern as we will cover all expenses and security will be handled by us as well." Harry says looking between the mayor and sheriff.

"I was asking as we have had a problem with a group of people that are trying to strong arm themselves into the community and a large crowd would certainly attract their attention." He says concerned.

"I see," Harry says while looking at Hermione who nods at him," we want to help with this problem."

"What can you?" he pauses as Harry and Hermione stand up and morph into their Panteras personas."

"We are the Panteras," they say in unison," We are the Elders of the Universe."

The mayor stands up, bowing to the couple, and says," Welcome to Glendale, Elders."

They morph back into their normal form and Harry says," If you have any leads on where to find this group we will convince them to leave this area alone or they will find business turning for the worse. My goblin advisors are ruthless and can have them run out of business in a very short time."

The sheriff was baffled about what was going on as he was non magical while the mayor was a wizard.

"What's going on John?" he asks the mayor.

"I guess you haven't seen the news lately then," he says," These are the beings from the stars that were born here on Earth. They also happen to own this town through their grandfather, whose statue is out in the square."

"I knew they were the owners form the car they were riding in. I didn't know they were anything but another witch or wizard." He says to the mayor, then turns to the Potter's," I will be glad for the help and I traced their organization down to a single building in Topeka. The building says Anderson Enterprises on it. It is just a front though; I have observed a lot of illicit activity going on there. They seem to know when the law is around because the local police can't get anything on them. They may have some magicals with them as I can never seem to catch them either because they get away too fast."

"Just give us the address and alert the Topeka police department to be ready but out of sight. We will be dressed as business people and I will carry a briefcase. We will both have blond hair and I will stop to tie my shoe before going in the building as a signal to get ready." Harry says.

"Can you take me with you? I have been after them for a long time." The sheriff asks," and when can you go?"

"Yes we can leave you with the assault team." Hermione says," and right now if you wish."

"Right I will give them a call now to see if we can set it up." The sheriff says as he runs to his office to make the call. Finally he was going to get satisfaction on this case. He calls the Topeka police department and tells them what is going on and about the elders helping out and they agree to have a task force ready in half an hour.

He comes back into the office and says," They can have a task force ready in half an hour and would like to meet you beforehand."

"Okay. Get whatever gear you need and we will take you there our way," Harry says.

The sheriff returns to his office to get the warrants and his shoulder holster for his gun and returns to the mayor's office.

Meanwhile Harry turns to the mayor," can you arrange for Aunt Martha to be taken to the wand shop? She and our mum just recently got their magical cores activated from being separated at birth. Aunt Martha will also need a tutor you can trust to train her as well. We will take care of our mum when we get back to England."

"That can be easily arranged and I will take them there myself. Good luck on your mission," the mayor says and shakes their hands again.

The sheriff comes back in and says," I'm ready. What do I do?"

Harry and Hermione stand up and morph into the Panteras, complete with uniforms with the stylish P above the right breast pocket.

"Harry looks at the sheriff and says," Since you have been there, I would like you to look into my eyes and picture in your mind the building you are talking about and the area around it and second, picture the police station we need to be at."

The sheriff looks into Harry's eyes and pictures the places as instructed.

Harry says," Got 'em. Now hold onto my hand and we will phase there."

Mr. Granger says to the mayor with a smile," Watch this."

Harry grabs the sheriff's hand and looks at Hermione," Ready Huntress?"

"Ready Hunter." She replies and they phase out.

"That wasn't apparition," the mayor says.

"No, they call it phasing and no wards can stop them." Mr. Granger says," Let's take the ladies shopping. It will help keep their minds off what's going on. They can't be hurt, but we still worry."

The Topeka Kansas metropolitan Police department building is right downtown and a very busy place. The lobby is quite large and there is a security desk near the elevators to scan for weapons before allowing people to go up to the offices above. The Hunters and Sheriff Gibson phase in right in the middle of the lobby, causing quite a stir. People gasp when they recognize their uniforms and start to gather around them to get a view.

The trio walk over to the security desk and Sheriff Gibson says," We have an appointment to see Captain Williams."

The guard picks up the phone and speaks into it," Sheriff Gibson to see Captain Williams." and after a pause, while listening to the other end," Yes sir, right away sir."

"Go on up. Sixth floor on the right side as you get off the elevator." the guard says.

They enter the elevator and push the button for the sixth floor and find Captain Williams waiting for them. He shakes hands with everyone and leads them to his office.

"I understand you can help us finally shut down this operation." He says.

"Operation?" Harry asks, "Just how big is this?"

"We have been observing them for quite a while and they have been manufacturing and distributing drugs and weapons for a long time. Every time we get a warrant for a raid they seem to get wind of it and we can't find anything there." he says.

"You probably have a spy in your department," Huntress says," We may be able to detect him or her if she is thinking about their mission."

The couple morphs their clothes into a nice business suite with jacket and tie for Hunter and a nice conservative skirt and blouse for Huntress just before they walk out of the Captain's office for a tour of his department. As they walk along the aisles of desks he describes the various jobs and case types they work on. While the captain is talking, Hunter and Huntress are scanning for the spy. In the back corner of the room is a young man typing away at a computer screen looking for specific data and not paying attention to his surroundings. Huntress picks up his thoughts about warning his real boss about the raid planned for today. He was just reaching for his phone when a shimmering shield appears around him shutting his phone and computer down. This gets the attention of the other officer's in the room and they converge on his desk. The young man looks up when the computer dies and notices the shield around him and tries to apparate away.

"That won't work, I'm afraid," Hermione says," your spying days are over. You had better come quietly."

She discreetly puts a bind on his magic and snaps his wand in its holster before banishing it. She summons his gun and looks in his eyes and sends,_" You have been judged by the Elders of the Universe to be unworthy of having magic for using it in this manner. You have caused untold numbers of deaths and suffering. All for money. Be glad you are not in England. We would have you put in Azkaban for life for this. You will live as a mundane from now on, if you survive prison."_

He raises his hands and the shield disappears so the officers can arrest him. After cuffing he is led off to a holding cell to be questioned.

"He was hacking into the network in the building and relaying information to his boss over the phone whenever a raid was scheduled," Huntress says," he should cooperate with you. He just lost something very important to him will need retraining if he survives his prison stay."

The captain turns around and addresses the officers standing around. They knew something was up because he never gives tours.

"This couple beside me is the Elders that were seen on the news. They are going to help us raid Anderson Enterprises and this time we will get them all. Everyone proceed to their assigned places and wait for the Hunters to give the all clear." He orders.

Hunter speaks up and says," Huntress and I got wind of this from Sheriff Gibson in Glendale, which we were visiting with relatives from nearby Smallville. We cannot be harmed by anything and it will be safer if you let us take care of the inside. You are there to catch anyone that tries to get away. Once we are done, you will be able to move in and confiscate any illegal items you find. We will give you a few minutes to set up and when you are in position we will walk down the street and enter the building. If you hear gunfire, do not be alarmed. We are immune and can heal wounds if anyone gets hit. Good luck everyone."

When he finished his speech the group watches as the Hunters phase out.

"Wow," someone says," I'm glad they are on our side.  
"Me too," someone else agrees.

The Hunters phase into an alley near their destination and disillusion themselves while waiting for the team to get set up. When they sense the team is ready they re-illusion themselves and walk slowly along the building to the door. Hunter stops to tie his shoe and then goes into the building. As soon as they are inside Hunter waves his hand and an anti-apparition and port key ward goes up. The doors and windows seal themselves and all electronics shut down. This of course gets the attention of the workers inside. The room they were in consisted of office cubicles like most office buildings and everyone stood up to see what was going on when the computers and phones shut down.

"Attention everyone" Hunter calls out as he and Huntress morph back into their Panteras uniforms," This is a raid sanctioned by the Elders of the Universe and the Topeka Police department. If you are innocent of any wrong doing and think you are working for a legitimate company you have nothing to worry about except this will be the last day of your job here. We will make sure you get good recommendations for other work. If you are guilty of participating in the illicit work going on here you will be finding other accommodations waiting on you."

Huntress signals the officers to start screening the office workers while they disillusion themselves for the walk down the stairs to the lower levels. As they reach the next floor down, the workers there don't know what's going on above them. There are a few witches and wizards working that felt the wards go up and know something is going on and are trying to discreetly get away without alerting the ones with guns. They know if they can get outside the wards they can get away. Unfortunately for them all of the exits are blocked. Hunter and Huntress walks onto a meshed steel landing that looks into a large warehouse type room that is two stories deep and notice men on catwalks with machine guns walking along while watching the workers.

"_Some of these people may be slaves Hunter,"_ Huntress sends_," They may be innocent."_

"_Yea, I noticed they all look like immigrants. They may have been brought here under false pretenses and are now caught under an umbrella of slavery and abuse. Even the gunmen look like they are from another country," _Hunter sends back_," Let's find the boss and give him a message for his boss."_

"_I see an office of sorts above the floor in the back corner,"_ Huntress sends.

"_Let's start there,"_ Hunter sends.

The couple hovers quietly above the landing and fly over to the office entrance where they settle on the landing there. Looking back at the warehouse area Huntress sends a wide area stunner and summons all of the guns while Hunter pulls the locked door off its frame. The man inside looks up in surprise when he sees no one there and fires his pistol at the door hoping to scare off whoever opened the door. A moment later Hunter reappears holding a couple of bullets in his hand.

He summons the man's gun and says," You won't need that anymore."

The man shouts out," Guards!"

"They can't hear or respond to you as they are all stunned." Hunter says.

The boss looks out his window and sees the guards all lying unconscious on the catwalks and the workers were the same.

"Who are you?" he asks frightened.

"We are the Elders of the Universe and your operation came to our attention when you tried to strong arm people in our town. We are shutting this operation down and will do the same to your boss," Hunter says while looking in the man's eyes.

"You are no match for our family," the man sneers, putting on a brave face, "we have been in power for two centuries."

"Power? You know nothing about what real power is. We intend to show you," Hunter states back at him.

Hunter sends to Huntress_," I've got the Cartel's location. I think we should start sending the worst ones off planet."_

"_Yes, I agree Hunter,"_ she sends back_," and I know the perfect planet."_

Hunter looks back at the man and says," Let's go talk to your boss, shall we?"

Upstairs the police commander was awaiting word from the Hunters when he felt a pressure in his head_," Captain Williams, this is Huntress speaking to you in your head. It is safe to come down the stairs. Everyone has been stunned and will wake up shortly. The men on the catwalks were carrying machine guns and overseeing the ones on the floor who looked like slaves. They are all immigrants, probably brought here against their will to work here. If this is the case please send them home. We are going to shut down the Cartel supplying this outfit. The boss is going with us. We should be back by the time you get this sorted out."_

When she finished, the captain ordered," Alright men, it's cleanup time."

The police and Sheriff Gibson stormed into the room to find everyone out and the men on the catwalks tied up in ropes. When they entered the office they found all of the machine guns and weapons of the guards piled in a corner. The Hunters and the boss were gone.

Before the police arrive the Hunters stand on each side of the boss and grab an arm each. They phase out of the upstairs office and into a large opulent room with a map of Mexico showing the areas controlled by the Cartel. There is a large conference table with high backed chairs around it all facing a large chair at the end where the leader sits. The couple seats the boss in one of the chairs and freezes him in place while they go over and study the map. The map shows a good depiction of each territory controlled by the five families of the Cartel with the local one highlighted in orange. The highlighted area is right in the center with the others all around. The area mapped is all of northern Mexico and the five families control all of the drug traffic to the United States from Mexico and South American sources, along with the human trafficking that has been going on. Without the families it would be years before any type of system could be set up to take over as it had been this way for a couple of centuries. The suppliers in Central and South America didn't have the manpower, resources, or the contacts to do what the families did.

Hunter sends to Huntress_," I wonder if the head is cut off if the others will fall?"_

"_Not likely,"_ Huntress sends_," they will probably just fight over who will take over."_

"_Then we need to be sure the other heads experience what we are going to do,"_ Hunter sends back.

Hunter walks up to the map and uses his finger to draw a circle around each of the manors. When he does this, people at each of the manors look up and notice a blue shimmering effect encompass the grounds just beyond the main gate and fence. The effect extends up and over the whole manor and grounds. At one of the manors a gardener is near the wall when the shimmering dome goes up and walks up to it and touches it. Nothing happens. One of the guards yells at him to get back to work. Startled the man falls over ending up outside the dome and finds he can not get back in. The guard runs up to him to pull him back in but is stunned and knocked back unconscious the second his hand touches the shield. The other slave workers notice this and make a run for the wall to get away. Some of the guards try to shoot them with their guns but they now no longer work. This encourages the rest of the slaves and there is a mass exodus from the property. The only ones that can't get past the shield are Cartel family members and the criminal element they employ. This happens at each of the properties, allowing the innocent to get away.

While this is going on the Potters notice at the far end of the room is a door that looks like it might lead to the main office. Hunter unfreezes the boss in the chair and gestures for him to precede them to the door. The boss walks ahead trembling as he is finally beginning to understand how much trouble he is in. This is the head bosses manor and he knew he didn't like failures. He opens the door and finds the head boss looking out the window at the chaos outside as well as the blue shimmering field outside of his fence. He turns at the sound of the door opening and looks on in shock at Hunter and Huntress entering with one of his minor supervisors.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" he demands, "are you responsible for the chaos outside?"

"We are the Elders of the Universe, and yes we are responsible," Hunter answers.

"What do you want?" he asks, realizing he is outclassed. He didn't get to be head by being stupid.

"We are shutting down the five families and sending you where you can do no harm to this planet any longer." Huntress answers.

"What do you mean by harming this planet?" He asks.

"We would have gotten to you eventually but your man here tried spreading out into the surrounding areas in Kansas and tried strong arming people near our family and we can't allow that to happen. When we discovered how bad it was at his facility and that you were trafficking in human slaves we decided you had to go." Huntress says.

"You are going to be sent to another planet about fifteen light years from here," Hunter says.

About the time he finishes he hears a loud humming from outside and looks out the window. A large silver sphere appears from nowhere and settles into the ground. One of these spheres appears at each of the manors.

"You will need that to survive." Hunter says," It is courtesy of the Intergalactic Community of Planets and contains a database on how to make your new environment work for you. You will not have electricity to start with; the data base will show you how to make use of its resources to power the manor. I hope you have a few college grads that will help you run a colony, because that is what you will be. Unlike you, we are not cruel and don't kill our enemies. We just make sure they can't harm anyone else."

Huntress looks over at the minor boss and says," Come outside and watch if you want to see true power."

With that the pair fly out the window and up above the shimmering field. The two men inside run out to the grounds to see what they are going to do. They spot the couple high in the air about two hundred feet above the grounds.

Hunter conjures twenty silver spheres two meters in diameter and sends four to each property, where they align themselves with each corner of the perimeter fence and hover there. Hunter and Huntress go to opposite corners and put their hands on a sphere.

"_We are going to have to pull power from the surrounding area for this to work,"_ Hunter sends.

"_I know,"_ Huntress sends back_," I'm ready."_

The families and henchmen inside the shield, along with the innocent outside the shield, watch as the air around the whole area starts to shimmer. Small streamers of white light seem to coalesce out of nowhere to converge on each of the Hunters. As they start to draw power, a white beam of light flows from each side of the spheres being held by the Hunters and connect to the other spheres creating a box. This is happening simultaneously at each of the manors. When the box is complete the area inside the box starts to haze up until a milky white opaque film fills it up. The wind starts to pick up and swirl with the streamers causing a crackling in the air as a large amount of energy builds up. Static starts to jump across the spheres in the form of lightning and the shields of the cloaked ship that delivered the large spheres is hit causing them to shimmer, revealing it temporarily to the crowd below.

The ship's captain, crew and the Elder adviser that came with him, look on in awe at the power shown by the Hunter's.

"Better back away captain," the Elder says.

"Yea," the captain agrees," I didn't know your kind could do that."

"We can't," he says," They are far more powerful than any normal Elder. They are the Elders of the Universe and our superiors, though they don't know that yet."

"What do you mean," the captain asks?

"They will be here until this planet is ready and then they will be sent by the Creator to another planet that needs help. They are above us in every way and that is why we brought the Spheres they requested. We are bound to help them in whatever capacity they need. All they have to do is think about what is needed and the appropriate mage or elder will pick it up and make sure it happens. They are true creations of the Creator of all Things and incapable of causing permanent harm to any sentient being. They will create situations, like they are doing now to solve problems like the people they are moving started. These people were very vicious criminals and the Hunters are moving them to a planet where there will be no one but themselves there. They will have no choice but to redirect their minds to survival instead of criminal activity. The spheres we brought will help them and hopefully help start a new colony that will eventually be able to join the wider community." The Elder responded.

"Good luck with that," the captain whispered.

"Agreed," the Elder said back.

Back on the ground the people looking up see the milky film start to darken and a picture forms inside. When the picture comes into focus, an open field of green grass with a river and mountains in the background can be seen. The air settles down somewhat and a hum can be heard like a power station with lots of transformers. The portals are now fully open over each manor as the Hunter's release their hold on the spheres and direct them down toward the manor where it flows through the manor and grounds stopping about ten feet under the ground. As the field hits the top of the highest tree it starts disappearing like going through a gate. When it is finished passing through everything, the portal rises back up where the people outside could see the manor now sitting on the green field. There is a loud sizzle in the air as the picture turns opaque and back to milky white before disappearing altogether. All that is left is a large ten foot deep hole in the ground where the manor and grounds stood that will eventually fill and become local watering holes for the wildlife and children to swim in. The crowd is cheering as they realize that they no longer have to worry about the Cartel bothering them ever again.

The Hunters float down and hover high enough to be seen by all and say in perfect Spanish," You can go home to your families now. Spread the word that The Elders of the Universe were here and this is what will happen to anyone who causes great harm."

They phase to each of the manors to explain what was done and to give the same message.

The atmospheric disturbance from the portals is picked up by an orbiting satellite which zooms into the area taking pictures of the activity. The satellite has been monitoring the family's activities in the hope of catching them at something that would stick in court. It streams the photos to its destination computers that processes the images and alerts the authorities about the activity. After viewing the photos, the authorities see they no longer have to worry about the Cartel of the Five Families, so they shift the satellite to another position of interest and go about their business. The authorities recognize the Hunters and are thankful they have allies like them.

Hunter and Huntress are satisfied with their work and phase back to the warehouse below the office to check on the Sheriff and Captain Williams. When they arrive everything is going smoothly so they walk over to the area where the magicals are congregated and scan them. Turns out they are slaves as well and Hunter assures them they will be okay as long as they keep to the Statute of Secrecy about magicals. The witches and wizards are relieved and join in with the others to be processed for release or transported back home.

The couple walks over to Captain Williams and Sheriff Gibson and says," The Cartel of five families will not be a problem anymore. We sent them to another planet where they will either survive or not. It is up to them. Either way they will not be able to do any type of criminal activity as they are the only ones there at this time."

"If you are ready to go Sheriff, I'm sure the ladies are more than ready for us to return." Hunter says.

The sheriff turns and shakes the captains hand and says," Thanks for allowing me to participate in the raid. I've been chasing them for months and can now close the case."

"Thank you, Sheriff Gibson, for bringing the Hunters here. This was a godsend and was sorely needed. Now my officers can get some well-earned rest until the next big case comes up," he responds," and thank you Elders, you are welcome to visit anytime."

"Just doing what we were sent here for Captain," Huntress says with a smile.

The Hunters each take an arm of the sheriff and phase back to the mayor's office in Glendale, where the ladies are waiting to be taken home for the evening.

When they appear the mayor immediately asks," How did it go? Did you get them?"

"The elders took care of everything," Sheriff Gibson says," They even sent all five of the cartel families to another planet."

Everyone looks at them not understanding what was said.

"What do you mean sent them to another planet," Mrs. Granger asks, looking at Harry and Hermione.

"We used five portals simultaneously to transport the families, compounds and all, to another planet where they will not be able to hurt anyone ever again," Hermione states seriously," They were doing human trafficking and had slaves at their compounds. Harry and I made sure all of the slaves escaped before sending the families away. We then told them they will never have to worry about being a slave again and to spread the word about what we did. Hopefully this will discourage others from trying to take the families place."

"I wish I could have seen that," Hermione's father says.

Harry turns to the wall across from everyone raising his right hand and a light shines from his palm like a movie projector. On the wall images start to show like watching a movie and the whole room watched as Hunter and Huntress sent the most notorious and dangerous crime families in Mexico to another planet fifteen light years away.

"You two amaze us more and more every day," Mr. Granger says," Your mum and I are so proud of you."

"Here here," everyone else says.

Harry and Hermione smile at each other and bask in the praise from their parents and the rest of the people in the office.

"Ready to go home," Mrs. Granger asks?

"You go ahead," Harry says," Hermione and I would like to walk around the town. We didn't get to see the sights and I would like to look at the statue of my grandfather. We will phase home when we are ready."

The rest of the group walks out the front doors and climbs into the limo for the ride home while Harry and Hermione walk hand in hand into the square to view the statue.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 35: An Interesting Christmas Holiday, Day six, a Trip to Town part two**

The town square is a good sized square of about an acre and a half with a small park surrounding the statue. Harry and Hermione walk up to the statue and read the plaque on the base.

"Here stands Charlus Potter.

Wizard and statesman.

Bought Glendale in 1927 and made it what it is today.

Dedicated this day of our lord 29th, June 1956."

"Grandpa sure got around a lot in his youth," Harry says, looking up into his grandfather's face," Helping the Hilton's out and this town. I wonder what else he did."

"He was obviously a great man Harry," Hermione says while leaning into him.

The couple walks over to a bench in front of the statue and sits down. Harry looks around the park which is a little peaked due to the winter weather. He looks back at the statue and says," Hi Grandfather, this is my wife Hermione. We are soul mates since we were eight and are very happy together. I'm sure you and grandma are watching over us and we love you."

Harry stands up straight and looks his grandfather's statue in eye and declares," I and Hermione promise to do everything in our power to live up to your legacy grandpa."

"Let's do something about this park to make it unique and to attract people to this town," Harry says.

"What do you have in mind?" Hermione asks.

Harry looks her in the eyes and projects a picture of what he wants.

"I approve," she says," let's do this."

They stand there and raise their arms and spread them. The ground starts rumbling as the square expands to three and a half acres. This brings everyone to the windows and sidewalks to watch what is going on. The road around the park is paved with cobblestones and angled parking is created with brown paving stones marking the spaces. The road itself is two lanes wide with plenty of room for large trucks to pass if needed with parallel parking in front of the shops. The curb around the square is made up of landscaping timbers up to a height of fifteen inches. Inside the park area the land is raised up to meet the height of the timbers. The snow vanishes leaving bare ground and a blue shimmering shield snaps into place around the park and then disappears. On the end of the park, away from the courthouse, a large area is blocked in and filled with sand. Inside this area they conjure a swing set with eight swings, several seesaws for the young children, a merry-go-round, a monkey bars and fort for the children to play in and finally, a large slide that curves in on itself to make a coil. Next to the children's area they conjure five pick nick tables with a bar-b-que pit for each one. Throughout the rest of the park appears a meandering path made of brown paving stones and lined with landscaping timbers along with benches every few yards. The paths have flowers lining the edges and soft lighting for nighttime strolling. Here and there, where there is room, large maple trees spring up to provide shade for pick nickers and people that just want to lounge around. The ground is put in last and consists of freshly mowed grass that never needs mowing. The last thing done is to set the temperature to a comfortable seventy five degrees with about thirty five percent humidity to keep everything from drying out. When they are finished the couple notices the crowd that has gathered. They beckon to the crowd and head over to the steps of the courthouse and climb to the top. The mayor walks out the door and stands next to the couple to hear what they have to say. Once the townspeople have gathered, Harry and Hermione step up side by side holding hands.

Harry amplifies his voice and says," I want to thank you for the statue of my grandfather that is erected in the square. Hermione and I thought we could spruce up the square and attract more customers for your businesses at the same time."

The crowd claps and cheers. "Those are the Potters" was heard to be whispered throughout the crowd.

"In case you didn't know, Hermione and I are the Elders of the Universe and this is our home in America. That is how we were able to do this."

This declaration made the townspeople stand up straighter and cheer louder.

"The shimmering effect you saw at the beginning was wards being set up. The wards will keep children under six years of age from wandering off if you leave them while you shop; the perfect baby sitter."

The people laughed at this.

"The wards will also keep the temperature inside the park at a comfortable seventy five degrees year round with a humidity factor of thirty five percent. They will also keep anyone with ill intent out. This makes it a safe haven for anyone being bullied or victimized. You can use the call box to contact the Sheriff if it is needed. If it gets real bad, contact us through the mayor and we will come."

Harry turns to the Mayor and Sheriff and hands each of them a watch he had just conjured in his pocket with a communication mirror and instructions on how to use them. They hold the watches up for the people to see.

"Please enjoy your new park and spread the word. We have no objections to the general public knowing about this. We intend to slowly introduce magic to the rest of the world as that is the way it is done in the rest of the universe." Harry concludes.

The couple then walks down the stairs while the townspeople go back to the shops and businesses. As they walk around the square they pass an empty barn and look inside.

"This looks like a perfect place for a New Year's ball Harry," Hermione comments.

"It sure does," Harry agrees," look; there is an old notice on the door."

"Barn Dance.

Everyone invited.

7:00pm till midnight

Oct, 31st 1955"

"The fine print says Potter enterprises so I guess we own the building Harry," Hermione says.

"Jeeves," Harry calls out.

Jeeves pops in," You called Lord Potter," he asks?

"Yes. Please get however many elves as you need to fix this place up for a New Year's ball. Pick a nice band that can play requests as well as formal ballroom music. Then make up and hand out fliers to every resident in the area. You can go through the post office to get them sent." Harry commands.

"Yes sire," Jeeves replies," It will be done."

"Well, that's taken care of," Hermione says as they resume their walk around the square and notice a health clinic as the last building opposite the courthouse. Walking into the clinic they walk up to the reception desk and ask," May we see the director or whoever is in charge?"

"Who may I say is calling?" she asks.

"We are the Potters and have a business proposition." Hermione states formally.

"Yes ma'am, let me get him for you." She says while sending a paper airplane note sailing up the stairs to the director's office.

"I saw what you did to the park, Thank you. It will give my children a safe place to play." She says to fill the time waiting on the director.

"You're very welcome," Harry says as the director walks down the stairs.

He greets them by shaking their hands and saying," Welcome to the Glendale Clinic. I'm healer Winthrop. Won't you join me in my office?"

"We'd be glad to," Harry replies.

They walk up to his office and get comfortable. Healer Winthrop is a balding man that looks to be in his sixties or seventies with slightly greying hair. The perfect grandfatherly image.

"What can I do for you?" he asks.

"First, let me introduce ourselves," Harry says, "this lovely lady sitting next to me is my wife Hermione and I am Harry Potter. We are related to the man whose statue sits in the park outside and are interested in helping the clinic out by expanding it into a full hospital for this area. You will be allowed to hire as many healers as you need and purchase whatever equipment you want. We would like it to be open to mundane and magical people on an equal basis. The two sections can be separate for the out-of-towner's that don't know about magic by simply directing them through the correct door. Emergency situations can be handled as needed. What we want is for all Potter Industries employees to have free medical care. The company will pay your facility for its services with each employee having an identification badge that will show who they are and authorize payment for services rendered. The badges cannot be faked. Hermione and I have healing powers as well as our other Elder powers and we want what is best for our company and community. Our parents are Dentists of the highest caliper and can help set up a dental clinic for the area with the same conditions. We would have to rely on you for a competent eye healer. We will pay for everything and you will be in overall charge of the facility. We hope with the park outside and the news of a new hospital that our community will grow and prosper as one of the largest mixed magical and mundane communities in the USA."

The director sat back in his chair with a big smile on his face.

"This is a dream come true for me," he says," this will allow me to be able to heal more people and fulfill my oath to your grandfather. He helped me set up this clinic when I was barely out of healer's school. I started out with just myself making house calls and have grown into the small facility you see now. I accept your proposal Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

He stood and shook hands with them.

"It's just Harry and Hermione to our friends," Hermione says," Is it okay if we take a tour of your clinic?"

"Most certainly," He says, standing up" right this way."

He leads them out of his office and takes them along the floor where the patients rooms are.

"Most of the patients have common ailments and are just in for rest and observation after being healed. I have one patient though that I wish I could do something for." He says sighing.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asks concerned.

He leads them into a room where a little girl of about ten years of age is resting quietly in her bed. Her mother is sitting in a chair reading to her. They both look up when the healer and the couple walks in.

"Hello healer Winthrop," the little girl says politely," Who are your friends? Are they your grandchildren?"

"Hello Crystal," he replies," how are you feeling today?"

"I am better. I can get out of bed by myself now to get into my chair," she says while looking curiously at Harry and Hermione.

Healer Winthrop looks over to Hermione and says, "She is paralyzed from the waist down from a car accident. Her parents survived by pure luck. The damage to her spine is more than I can heal and no one else can seem to help her either. Though, they have tried."

Hermione looks over to Harry and says," We have to try Harry; we can't leave her like that. I'm sure we can do this."

"I know Hermione. I feel the same," Harry responds.

The healer, along with Crystal and her mother look at the couple with funny looks. The healer is beginning to get an idea of who he has been talking to and the mother and daughter wondering what two young teenagers can do that several grown healers can't seem to accomplish.

"How can you help my daughter?" the mother asks," you're just children."

"That's true, we are children. Hermione is fourteen and I am thirteen," Harry replies as they morph into their Panthers personas," we are also the Elders of the Universe and this is our home in America. We plan to turn this facility into a full-fledged hospital where extreme cases like Crystal's can be handled. Go and have a look out onto the town square and you will see some of our work. We will wait here for your permission to heal her."

The mother puts her daughter in a wheel chair and goes to look at the park across the street from the clinic. They come back after a few minutes with smiles on their faces and the mother helps Crystal get back into the bed. Harry and Hermione turn back into their real selves.

"Will I be able to play in the park when I get better," Crystal asks?

"Yes, you can go tomorrow when healer Winthrop releases you," Hermione says.

"My name is Katheryn," the mother says, with hope in her eyes," can you really heal her?"

"Yes, Katheryn, we can. We just need your permission to start. It will take but a few minutes to put her back to her original self again."

"Please, help her," Katheryn pleads.

The couple turns to the healer and instructs," Please, turn her onto her stomach and show us where the injury is."

He complies by gently levitating Crystal and turning her over then lowering her back onto the bed. He lifts the back of her shirt up to reveal her lower back where there is a big knot where her spine would be just above her waist line.

Hermione says to Crystal," You will get a tingly feeling in your legs as we repair your nerves. We will go slowly so it will not get uncomfortable for you. Just relax and listen to your mom read the story she was reading when we walked in."

"Kay," Crystal responds while her mother gets the hint and starts to read to keep her daughter occupied while they work.

Harry and Hermione get on either side of the bed and hold their hands about two inches above the area that was indicated by the doctor. They stare at the area and concentrate on healing the broken spine and severed spinal cord. With a soft white glow their hands slowly move around the area where the large knot starts to shrink and the nerves start to fuse back together.

"I can feel my legs start to tingle," Crystal says," That feels so good, nice and warm, like a warm blanket."

Harry and Hermione just smile and keep working. After about fifteen minutes they finish with her back and move their hands up and down her legs healing any muscle atrophy that might have occurred from being in bed so long.

"There," Hermione says," That should do it. Healer Winthrop if you would please?"

Healer Winthrop took out his wand and ran it up and down her legs and across her back and smiled in joy at the readings he was getting.

"She is completely healed. There is no atrophy in her legs from being bedridden all these months," he says while looking at her mother. He then looks at Crystal and says," Let's try walking, shall we?"

Crystal turns over on to her back and sits up by herself. She then swings her legs over the left side of the bed and stands up with her mother holding her left hand. She takes a step out with her left leg and then another and another, before long she is running around the room laughing and clapping. Her mother is in tears of happiness and can't wait to tell her husband about the miracle that happened today.

She turns to the couple," I can't thank you enough for this. We owe you a debt of gratitude and will repay you for your services as soon as we can. What is your last name so we can set it up with Gringotts America?"

Harry and Hermione look at each other and smile, then Harry says," I am Harry Potter and this is my wife Hermione. The only payment we will accept is for you to raise this young lady in a loving and caring family. It is our duty as Elders to take care of our own and protect them. For the citizens of Glendale and the employees of our company, health care is free, as everyone here is in support of Potter Industries and our goal of making this the best place in America to live."

She gasps," My husband works for you. Has all his life. He says it's the best job in the world driving a truck for you. I have to agree with him, especially after today."

Crystal gives both of the Potters a hug and thanks them for healing her. Harry and Hermione turn to Healer Winthrop and says," We will stop by with my Parents and set up the dental clinic and eye healer clinics before we return to England after the New Year. There will be a dance in the Red Barn on the square for New Year's Eve. Everyone is invited at no charge. There will be refreshments and the park is warded to keep the children safe while the adults dance and socialize. This will be a family gathering appropriate for all ages. You will receive an invitation in the mail soon so we look forward to seeing you there. We better get home now. Our parents are probably wondering what is taking us this long just to do a little shopping."

Everyone laughs at that and the Director, along with the mother and daughter look on in amazement when the Potters phase out without a sound.

"That wasn't apparition," Katheryn says to the director.

"No, it certainly wasn't," he replies," They are definitely the Elders of the Universe."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 36: An Interesting Christmas Holiday, The Ball **

Harry and Hermione phase back in to the entrance area of their home to be met by Franklin, who takes their coats and hangs them in the entrance closet.

"Thank you Franklin," Hermione says.

"You welcome my lady," He says bowing," dinner is served in the kitchen dining area."

"Very well," Harry replies," You will join us, won't you?"

"Yes, my lord," He says as he follows them into the dining area.

When the couple walks into the room Mrs. Granger asks," How did the shopping go?"

Harry and Hermione looks at each other and smile," we didn't get any shopping done, but we were busy."

"Oh?" Mrs. Grangers asks?

Harry takes over," We went to the square and talked to grandfather for a while and then fixed up the square a little. As we were walking we noticed an abandoned red barn shaped building and went inside to check it out. Turns out the building is an old dance hall owned by Potter Industries. We found an old marquis about a barn dance in the mid nineteen fifties. We thought this would be a perfect place for the New Year's Ball so we called Jeeves to fix it up and send out the invitations. It should be a fun way to bring in the New Year."

Hermione smiles at her husband and starts the next part," Our last stop was the clinic. We introduced ourselves to the director and made a proposal."

"What kind of proposal?" Uncle Jonathan asked.

"To convert the clinic into a full hospital for magical and mundane people." Harry says.

Hermione continues," our proposal is for the clinic to expand from a two story ten room facility to a five story full hospital. We also proposed setting up a dental clinic and eye center next door. Dad, we want you to be the owner of the dental clinic with dentists you trust to run it for you. Maybe someone you know from the convention will work."

He was nodding his head in approval," I know just the person. Dr. Johanssen was expressing an interest in setting up a clinic here in the states. He's from Switzerland and wants to move here permanently with his family. He has a daughter that is a witch just graduating from dental school hoping to find a way to integrate magic with our profession."

"Sounds perfect for our needs dad," Harry says," Please contact him and let him know about the position. He can help plan and build the facility."

"One last thing to report," Hermione says as she takes Harry's hand in hers, leaning into him.

The others knew something was up. They could feel the contentment and happiness radiating off of the couple.

"While we were taking a tour of the clinic and Healer Winthrop was explaining about the cases to us," Hermione says," he brought us into a room where a ten year old little girl was resting in bed. She was recovering from a bad car accident where her spine had been severed and she was paralyzed from the waist down."

Everyone gasped when they heard that with tears forming in the ladies eyes thinking how horrible it must have been. Hermione's parents, being medical professionals, truly understood what happened to the little girl, while everyone else could just guess. The light came on in her mother's eyes as she looked at her daughter and a big smile broke out on her face.

"You didn't," she said.

Hermione smiles back while snuggling even closer to her Harry," Yes mum. It took about twenty minutes, but we were able to fuse the nerve endings back together and mend the bones. She is now running around her room and will join us at the dance. Her mother is a witch and her dad works for us. We don't know what his magical status is as he drives a truck for us, but we can tell she loves him very much. She tried to pay us for healing her daughter but we told her the only payment we would take is to raise her in a loving environment."

Hermione's parents get up and walk around the table where they hug the couple.

"Hermione Jane, Harry James," Mrs. Granger says," You two are the best children we could ever hope to have and the best thing to happen to this planet ever. I look forward to meeting this young lady."

"Thanks, mum and dad," They say in unison, basking the love of their family.

After dinner the adults go to the den to watch some television and have after dinner drinks while the children go to the game room to play games. Harry and Hermione take turns at the pinball machines, allowing Clark to operate one of the flipper buttons and launch the ball since he isn't big enough to reach both sides yet. Mrs. Kent comes in at eight o'clock to fetch him for bed and smiles when she sees what Harry and Hermione are doing.

"Come on Clark," she says," Time for bed, you can play with your cousins tomorrow."

"Aw mom," Clark says, "I was having fun."

"I know son, but it is bedtime now," she says,"Maybe they will take you horseback riding tomorrow."

He looks at them and asks," Really?"

They nod at him," That sounds like a good idea," Hermione says.

After Clark went to bed Harry and Hermione go against each other in a few intense games of Nine Ball on the billiard table and retire for the evening around ten.

The next few days were spent being a family and getting to know each other better. They went horseback riding and learned how to care for the horses. They used the game room extensively and kept pretty much to themselves to renew the bond as a family for the Grangers and to integrate the Kent's into the Potter/Granger fold. They toured the milk plant facility to see how dairy products were made and distributed where Harry and Hermione gave a speech to the workers about the new badge system and the free health care provided by the company to the cheers of the workers.

On New Year's eve, Harry and Hermione phase the Grangers to the square in Glendale for their meeting with Healer Winthrop and Dr. Johanssen, along with his daughter. When they appear on the sidewalk outside the clinic, they heard from the park:

"There they are daddy!" Crystal exclaims as she had been looking in their direction.

Her father looks up and spots the Potters and hurries across the street to greet them, bringing his daughter and wife with him. Crystal's father is a big burly man of six feet four inches in height with a kind face and a big heart. The family is very nicely dressed, for a truck driver's family. The husband is wearing a nice pair of slacks and a silk shirt, while Katheryn is dressed in very expensive robes. When he shakes hands with Harry and then Hermione he can't help but be impressed by how firm their handshakes are for someone as small as them. At least compared to him.

"I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter from being a paraplegic, confined to a wheelchair. My wife was even trying to design a hover chair for her," He says.

"No thanks are necessary Mr.?" Harry asks hesitating.

"I'm sorry, it's Donaldson," He says," My wife Katheryn and daughter Crystal you know already."

The potters look at Crystal and ask," How are you today Crystal?"

She blushes and says respectfully," I'm feeling good, Elders."

Hermione says," None of that Elders stuff, to you we are Harry and Hermione. We are only three and four years older than you and we like to play in the park too. After the meeting gets started we will be over to play, okay?"

"I'd like that," she says.

Crystal, after looking both ways before crossing the street, runs back over to the play area in the park.

"You said you just fixed up the park Hermione," Her mother says with raised eyebrows.

"We did mum," Hermione sighs," We just didn't elaborate as we didn't think it was necessary. We wanted to attract more people to the downtown area of the town to revitalize the economy a bit and it looks like we succeeded better than we thought. Here it is the middle of winter and twenty degrees out and look at the crowd enjoying the summer weather we provided for them. The businesses of the square will benefit and the town will have a good reputation as a town for families to want to live in. Family is the most important thing to Harry and me."

"You certainly accomplished your goal quickly." She commented.

"Thanks mum," Hermione says brightly.

Hermione looks over at Katheryn and asks," Your husband says you were trying to make a hover chair?"

"Yes, I wanted something Crystal could use that would be easier than a wheelchair for navigating over curbs and up and down stairs," she answers," I was hoping if I could make it work then I could help others with the same problem."

"What do you do for a living Katheryn?" Hermione asks.

"I'm a theoretical physicist at the University of Kansas in Topeka. I've been trying to integrate magic with mundane science to make it compatible." She answers.

Hermione turns to her parents," You two go to your meeting. The receptionist inside will point you to the right office. We want to talk to Katheryn about her field. We will be in the park when you get out of your meeting. Just let them know money is not an issue and we will approve whatever you come up with."

Okay, honey," Her father says," We'll see you later,"

Mr. Donaldson says," I'll just head back over to the park. I get a headache trying to understand her work. So I quit trying."

Katheryn just smiles at her husband and pecks him on the lips before he goes back to be with their daughter.

The Potters lead her over to the red barn which hasn't opened yet and they go inside.

"We brought you in here as we don't want an audience," Hermione says to her raised eyebrow," being a witch, you know what a levitation spell is and how it feels, right?"

She nods yes.

"I'm going to cast a levitation spell on you and I want you to use your senses and tell me what you feel." Hermione says.

Katheryn agrees and Hermione casts a shimmering blue field around her which causes her to rise a foot off the floor and holds her there.

"This doesn't feel like a levitation spell," Katheryn says," It has a slight tingle and I feel no weight at all."

Hermione lowers her back to the floor and cancels the field.

Once Katheryn is settled Hermione says," That wasn't a levitation charm. What you experienced was a null gravity field."

"That's impossible with current technology. I didn't think it could be done with magic either, until now." She says with wide eyes," can you teach it to me?"

"If you understand how the principle of null gravity works you can do it up to whatever your power level will allow," Hermione says," Harry and I hold the equivalent to several PHDs on mundane science and physics, as well as other subjects due to the Nano-Probes in our blood. It is part of our genetic engineering. Samples of our blood would not help you in any way because your technology is not fast enough to keep up with it. Answer this question correctly and we will help you get started."

"Go ahead and ask. I will answer to the best of my ability." Katheryn says.

"What one thing do you need to make Null Gravity work with current technology, besides just knowing the theory?" Hermione asks.

"Superconductor technology," She answers without hesitation," But I haven't been able to come up with a material that can take the heat for more than a few seconds before it burns up."

Hermione and Harry look at each other and smile," Finally," they say in unison.

Katheryn looks at them in confusion and asks," What's going on?"

"We want to hire you on as a private researcher for Potter industries." Harry answers," We have been hoping to meet somebody we could trust outside of the government to pass on some information; someone that stood a chance of understanding it. Null gravity on a large scale will take fusion reactors to power it. With fusion reactors, you will find it strong enough to at least propel spaceships within the gravity well of a star. Superconducting material will allow these technologies to be produced. We recently gave the formula for a type of metal to some metallurgists at that train yard fire in Metropolis to help prevent that type of disaster in the future. The metal will take the place of steel on this planet within the next ten years. We want you to start small with your hover chair technology that can be powered by runic magic and the superconductor material we will give you. This will be the starting point for whatever you can invent and make work."

Harry holds his hand out and conjures a roll of thin wire. And a small book with several sheets of parchment inside.

Handing these to her he explains," The wire is called Trinium. As the name implies, it is made of three materials that are readily available here on Earth. The book has the formulas for producing the metal and also what you need to make Null Gravity work with current technology. We will let you figure out how to power it with magic. The wire will conduct electricity with no resistance whatsoever and will not get hot. It is the perfect conductor. Your chairs should not require a lot of power for a single person to sit in them. We think runes will probably work but are not sure as we have not taken runes yet in school. We are hoping you can prove our theory. This could be scaled up to cars and airplanes and any vehicle that runs off of fossil fuels. This is the perfect way to clean up our planet. The runes could charge off the ambient magic of the planet allowing for unlimited length trips for mass transit without having to refuel. The possibilities are endless. We will fund you for all of your needs and pay you a good salary. Any patents you invent are yours as long as Potter Industries is allowed to initially introduce the products to the public. What do you think?"

"I accept. I will have to give notice at my other job. I have already been on leave for several months since the accident so I'm sure they have gotten used to me not being there. I will just tell them I need to be with my family." She says," My husband says working for you is the best job in the world and he may only be a truck driver for the dairy but he is very happy and it gives us the family time we want."

"Great," Harry says while shaking her hand. He gives her a watch with a communication mirror inside and explains how to use it. "Call us if you get stuck and we will help if we can. Let's go join Crystal on the swings."

After a fun couple of hours in the park for the kids, the Grangers finally leave their meeting and walk over to the park to sit and relax for a bit. Harry and Hermione walk over to them and ask," How did the meeting go?"

"Everything is ready to get started. The construction work will start after the New Year and be ready to open by spring." Mr. Granger says.

"Maybe we can come during Easter break to check on the progress," Harry says.

"Maybe so Harry," Mr. Grange says," Let's go home and get ready for the Ball."

The two couples stand up and grab hands and with the crowd watching phase back home.

"How did the meeting go honey?" Mr. Donaldson asks his wife.

She smiles up at him," I have a new job that will allow me to spend more time with the family. I am now working for Potter Industries as well. My contact with them will be a man by the name of Jonathan Kent. Do you know him?"

"Yes, they own a large farm over in Smallville. I have done side work for them before in helping with the harvest. He is a good man." He says.

"He is also Mr. and Mrs. Potter's uncle." She says.

"All the more reason to keep working for the Potter's then." He says while holding his arms around her from behind.

Later that evening the doors open to allow the invitees to enter the dance hall. The inside has been expanded quite a lot to accommodate all of the guests. Anybody who was anybody is in attendance. The Mayor, along with his wife and daughter are there. So are the Sheriff and his son. Most of the crowd consists of ordinary town's folk that came because they want to see the Potters. Everyone is dressed in their best seventeen hundreds dress as this is the theme for the ball. The inside of the barn is lined with tables of food, buffet style, with tables scattered around to sit and eat. There is a raised platform where the musicians are set up ready to go. About ten after seven a long black limo pulls up to the door and the Potter's, Granger's and Kent's all get out. The adults are all dressed in their best finery as they are in attendance with the royal couple. As soon as Harry and Hermione step into the hall an announcement rings out.

"Hear Ye, Hear Ye," the Mayor calls out," All stand and pay heed. Please welcome our benefactors; His majesty Harold J. Potter Pendragon and his Wife, Her majesty Hermione J. Potter Pendragon, The magical King and Queen of the British Commonwealth and the Elders of the Universe. May their reign be long and without strife."

Everyone turns to the entrance and see Harry and Hermione standing there with their royal robes on and crowns on their heads. The couple walks in and makes their way up to the raised platform. Everyone bows to them as they pass.

When they arrive at the platform Harry turns to the Mayor and says formally," Thank you for the warm welcome, your honor. We appreciate it."

Harry turns back to the on looking crowd and says," Let the festivities begin. Please enjoy yourselves."

Everyone claps politely and disperses to the food tables to help themselves to the feast. Harry, Hermione and family wander through the guests greeting everyone, eventually getting something to eat. When the guests are truly stuffed, the musicians make their way up on stage and start warming up.

Harry calls out to the room," Everyone please stand for a moment while we get the dance floor set up."

Everyone stands and with a wave of his hand the tables disappear except for the refreshments along one wall and chairs and benches around the other walls for resting between dances. Everyone moves back in anticipation of the opening waltz by the King and Queen.

Harry walks over to Hermione and bows," May I have this dance my Lady,"

"Yes you may kind sir," she answers back with a smile.

They move to the center of the floor and the orchestra starts up with a fine waltz. Harry and Hermione glide around the floor as if they were floating on air very gracefully, their eyes never leaving each other. When the waltz finishes he takes her hand and backs away with a deep bow to his lady while kissing her knuckles. The orchestra starts another waltz and the rest join in and dance happily. After this dance the Potters take a short break to get a drink. Harry looks around the floor and spots Crystal sitting by herself looking bored with the adults around. Harry nudges Hermione and nods in Crystal's direction. Hermione looks at him, smiles and nods. Harry then walks over to Crystal and bows to her.

"May I have this dance my lady?" He asks with a smile.

Crystal looks up from her seat and immediately stands up and curtsies.

"Are you really a King," she asks wide eyed?

"Yes I am and Hermione is my Queen. I even drew Excalibur from the stone, just like in the movie," He says.

"Wow, I would love to dance," she hesitates," Except I don't know how."

"You leave that up to me my lady. Take my right hand in your left and put your right hand on my shoulder. I will put my left hand on your waist and magic will do the rest. You just float along while I twirl you around the floor." He says.

She does as instructed and soon she is laughing and squealing with joy as he dances around the floor with her. Hermione moves up to them.

"Mind if I join," she asks?

"Not at all," Harry replies as they form a trio with the two Potters floating the young Miss Donaldson around the floor with them. A good time is had by all.

The elder Donaldson's are watching their daughter have the time of her life with tears in their eyes. They are very grateful to have her back whole and sound. They vowed to be the best and most loyal employees the Potters ever had.

As the clock tolled Twelve, all of the couples present paired off and kissed the New Year in. It was now Nineteen Ninety Four. Harry and Hermione walk up to the stage and hold up their classes of punch.

"Happy New Year everyone. May we all have a very happy and profitable year. I now declare the festivities over. Have a safe journey home. We and our family have to return to England tomorrow where Hermione and I have to get back to school. We will come and see you again at spring break."

The townspeople cheer loudly and slowly disperse back to their homes. The morale of the town was given a very large boost by the Potters presence and everyone went away with new purpose and a spring in their step.

The next morning a large crowd gathers at the General Store to give the Potters a send-off. They watch and cheer as the iron gates open and the limo pulls out and turns right on the highway for the trip back to Smallville to drop the Kent's off at their farm before heading home. Martha and Helen share a teary goodbye but promised to talk on their watches every chance they get. After Jeeves takes their luggage home, Harry makes a portkey and the Grangers and Potters disappear in a flash of light.

"This has sure been an interesting Christmas holiday," Jonathan says as he walks with Martha and Clark into their home.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 37: A visit to Ollivander's Shop & Back to School**

The Potters and Grangers materialize in the entrance way to their home where Jeeves meets them.

"Welcome home My Lord and Lady," he says bowing to the Potters and then turns to the Grangers," welcome home Drs. Granger."

"Thank you Jeeves," Mr. Granger says," it's good to be home again."

Everyone departs to their rooms to unpack from their vacation/working holiday. Harry and Hermione repack their trunks for the trip to school on the third, only leaving out clothes for a couple of days.

When everyone meets in the den to relax, Jeeves serves afternoon tea and biscuits, as it is a six hour difference from Kansas to England. Harry and Hermione look at each other and nod, thinking the same thing.

"Mum, Dad," she says to get their attention," Since it is early morning to us, Why not go to Diagon Alley to get mum's wand and set up tutoring for her and we need to get supplies for school. Harry and I have run out of parchment and quills and I would like to see if any new books have come in."

"That sounds like a good idea," Mrs. Granger says," It will also help us to acclimate to the time change."

Jeeves appears with their coats and robes without having to be asked and everyone gathers into a circle holding hands. Harry controls the phasing process and phases the family to the apparition point in Diagon Alley. Their silent appearance startles the auror on duty until he recognizes the family and he tips his hat in greeting. They nod back at him and proceed to Ollivander's shop. The bell rings as they walk in and Mr. Ollivander comes from the back to greet his customer.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Potter," he says when he sees them. He looks up and spots Mrs. Granger's aura and gasps," Helen Richardson. I expected to see you and your sister some twenty eight years ago. Where's Martha, is she coming too?"

"You know us sir," Mrs. Granger asks in surprise?

"You didn't recognize me when we brought Hermione in for her wand," she continues.

"I read auras to determine who my customers are and the ministry gives me a list every year of magicals that are born so I can prepare wands for everyone." he says by way of explanation," I don't remember seeing an aura around you back then, so I didn't recognize you with a different name."

"My sister and I were separated at birth and didn't get a change to form the bond that most twins have," She says," We met each other over the holiday and our cores were restored when we bonded. By the way, I'm married now and this is my Husband, Dr. George Granger, and you know our daughter already."

"That explains it and I do indeed know her majesty," He says bowing," Let's move to the back to make you a more fitting wand for a mature witch."

They walk to the back of the shop where Mr. Ollivander has his work bench and materials. He takes out a box of wand stocks and a box of core materials and sets them on the bench.

"Now, just hold your hand over the box of wand wood and close your eyes. Let the tingly feeling you have inside you search out the wood that is right for you," he says.

She does as instructed and with her eyes closed she holds her hand over the box. After about five long minutes she is about to give up when the box starts rattling and a block of wood flies into her hand.

"Vinewood," he says," just like your daughter. Now do the same for your core."

She is a little more confident now that she has done this once and holds her hand over the box of core materials. After another five minutes she feels a very light something hit her hand and she closes her hand around it while opening her eyes. She sees a very fine white hair about six inches long sitting there.

"That is the hair from a unicorn," Mr. Ollivander says," These two parts will make a nice wand for transfiguration and healing."

"I am in the medical profession already," she says satisfied.

After he gathers the two parts together and sets them aside for a moment he looks at the Potters and asks," And how are your wands holding up? Still working well; I presume?"

Harry and Hermione look at the floor guiltily, shuffling their feet, for a few seconds before looking back up," Actually, our wands burnt out the first time we tried to use them. We've been doing wandless magic ever since."

Mr. Ollivander claps with glee when he hears that and dances a little jig. The Potter's look on astonished; they thought they would get into trouble for burning out their wands.

"Mr. Ollivander, are you okay," Hermione asks?

"More than okay Mrs. Potter," he answers," this means you truly are Elders. No wand will be powerful enough for you. You will both need a staff. Probably with at least ten cores each, to channel your power. Merlin was the last such person needing a staff for this reason. I will need to get a reading on your power levels to determine the materials needed."

He leads them to a back room that has a door that when opened shows an open field with some targets set up. They proceed through the door and into the field.

"Where are we," Hermione asks?

"We are in another dimension," Mr. Ollivander says," this place is very much like the Room of Requirements at Hogwarts. I had this set up so high powered spells would not cause any damage to Diagon Alley or London. We certainly don't need the authorities finding out about these kinds of secrets. I do my experimenting here and bring special people, like you, for testing. Anyway, just use that target over there to test your power level. Hit it with a stunner at your full strength. Don't worry, you can't hurt anything here."

"What are we looking for Mr. Ollivander," Harry asks?

"When you hit the target a number will appear above it. That will be your power rating." He says.

"What's the highest number so far," Hermione asks?

"Well," Mr. Ollivander says while rubbing his chin," Merlin was reported to have a power level of around a thousand. Dumbledore is around nine hundred. The average witch or wizard is around five to six hundred."

Harry looks at Hermione and says," why don't you go first, sweetheart. I will shield the others,"

Mr. Ollivander gives them a funny look while Harry projects his strongest shield around the group, leaving Hermione outside.

"Here goes," she says as she holds both of her arms up wrists together with fingers and palms pointing out like she was going to catch a softball. She concentrates on the target and lets loose a gargantuan beam of red light the size of a small house which washes over the target and dissipates behind it. Harry drops the shield while everyone looks on in awe. The number 10673 is shinning above the target.

"Is that enough?" Hermione asks," I could have gone higher, but I didn't want to destroy your test room."

Mr. Ollivander looks at her incredulously and asks," You have more power than that?"

"Harry and I can draw enough power to destroy a planet if the Creator deems it necessary," Hermione says calmly," If an asteroid was to ever threaten this planet, that kind of power will be needed to save the planet. We just sent five full size mansions, along with the surrounding grounds to another planet through portals we created, all at the same time. We had to draw power from the surrounding area but it wasn't hard for us to do. For any staff you make for us, we can limit the power we channel through it to keep it from burning out to keep up appearances. Besides, I like the idea of a staff for both of us. For the people of Earth it will be a symbol of who we are, as everyone, mundane and magical alike, knows Merlin carried one. Just make them as powerful as you can so we can use them. The cost of materials is not an issue, so spare no expense in making them."

This brought a large smile to Ollivander's face at the thought of possibly being responsible for creating the most powerful staves ever made on Earth. That they were to be made for the Elders of the Universe, made him feel safe in creating them. No one else would have the power to use them.

They all make their way back into Ollivander's shop where he starts to work on Mrs. Granger's wand. They all watch in fascination as he shapes the block of wood into a nice looking wand and then splits it for inserting the core. He then casts the spells on the wand to bind the core to the wand and with a polishing spell done he hands the wand to Mrs. Granger.

"Give it a wave," He says smiling.

She waves the wand causing red and gold sparks to fly from the tip. Mrs. Granger has a large smile on her face as she can feel her magic flowing through the wand.

"How much do I owe you," She asks?

"For the mother of the King and Queen, there is no charge," He says reaching under his counter," Here is a holster for your arm or hip to keep it in."

"Thank you very much Mr. Ollivander," she replies.

He smiles at her and looks over at the Potters and says," Your stave's will be ready in a couple of weeks. It will take me a while to gather the materials."

"Just let us know and we will come and test them for you when they are ready," Harry says.

With a nod to Mr. Ollivander, the group leaves the shop and after shopping for supplies with a final stop at Madam Malkin's, head over to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. After dinner Harry phases the group back home for a good night's rest for the trip to school the next day.

After a healthy breakfast the Potters and Grangers Climb into the back of the Rolls as Jeeves holds the door for them for the trip to King's Cross Station. It is an early Tuesday morning and traffic is very heavy. It's a good thing they left early as it took them twice as long as normal to get there. On arrival, Jeeves opens the door and arranges the children's trunks on their carts for traversing the barrier to platform nine and three quarters. Harry and Hermione hug their parents and with tearful goodbyes and proceed through the portal. They lift their trunks and carry them into a compartment in the center of the train where they are stowed overhead. Harry waves his hand to expand the compartment in anticipation of their study group showing up for the ride back to school. The first to show up is Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

"Hi Nev and Luna," Harry says," How was your holiday?"

"It was great," Neville replies," Gran set me up with my own greenhouse. Even though it is winter, I can't wait to get it planted and be able to tend the plants and herbs."

"My holiday was good as well," Luna says with her lilting voice and a smile," Dad got me a new dream catcher and we went Snorkack hunting. Didn't find any though."

Maybe they hibernate in the winter," Hermione says," A lot of insects and other creatures do."

"You are probably right Hermione," she says contemplatively," I'll owl my father to try again in the spring."

Just then Draco pops his head in and asks," Might I join you? I brought a friend."

"Of course, Draco," Hermione says, seeing the friend standing behind him," You and Pansy are welcome."

Draco comes in and sits down next to Neville. Pansy comes in and curtsies to the Potters.

"How are you Elders," she says shyly," Thank you for letting me join you."

"We are fine Pansy," Harry replies," and our friends call us Harry and Hermione."

"You want me to be your friend?" she asks," After everything I did to you last year"

"You learned from your mistake didn't you?" Hermione says.

Pansy nods yes.

"Draco learned from his as well and is now part of our study group," Hermione says," I'm glad Draco has a friend he can bring with him."

Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott join them next, followed by Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis. "Happy New Year," They say as the situate themselves.

"Hi Pansy," Daphne says," You and Draco together now?"

"Yes," she says blushing," Our parents got together and set it up. We are spending time together to see if we are compatible."

"You two don't have any common ancestry do you," Hermione asks?

"Not that we know of," Draco says," why do you ask."

"Pureblood inbreeding," Hermione says," As Elders, Harry and I are concerned about purebloods trying to keep their blood pure by marrying cousins and such. If you do not have common ancestry, there is a better chance of producing children with stable magical cores and also the chance of having more than one child. Inbreeding is killing off all of the old pureblood families. When you said your parents set you up, I got worried for a second there. We would like to see all of the prominent families of Britain survive and prosper."

"We will check to make sure and pass on the information you gave us," Draco says.

Hermione nods in satisfaction," Everyone is in for a surprise when we get to school."

"What do you mean Harry," Luna asks?

"Just need our two Gryffindor's and we will tell you all about it," Harry says," Ah, here they come now." The red headed family came through the barrier with about five minutes to spare before the train departs. After rushed hugs from their mother, Ron and Ginny hurry onto the train and into the compartment with the rest of the group.

"Whew, made it." Ron says.

Ginny and the other girls giggle at his antics.

"Now that everyone is here, we have an announcement to make," Hermione says.

Everyone looks at them in anticipation.

"Everyone here knows about Merlin, right," Hermione asks?

They all nod in the affirmative.

"What you may not know is that Hogwarts used to have a different name before the founders and the castle looked different," Hermione says.

"What does Merlin have to do with Hogwarts," Pansy asks?

"What is Merlin famous for," Harry asks?

"He was King Arthur's wizard and confidant," Draco says," He was also the greatest wizard ever known. He was the one that put the sword in the stone and enchanted it so only the true King of all Britain could pull it out. That's how Arthur became King and united all of Britain."

Harry stands up and a sword appears at his side," would this be the sword you are referring to?"

Harry pulls the sword from its scabbard and shows the group.

"Excalibur," Draco whispers in awe. Then everyone gets down on one knee and bows.

Neville looks up at Harry and speaks for the group," My liege, how can we be of service to you and your Queen?"

"Everyone, rise up," Harry says," This group is the beginning of our inner circle. The heads of the four houses are our advisors but we will have need of loyal friends and advisors our own age when we get older. That is one of the reasons for the study group. We hope to bring together people from all four houses and all walks of life to be able to rule wisely when we graduate. This, Ron Weasley, is something you can be known for that will make your brothers and sister very proud of you. You will be known in the future as one of the Knights of the Round Table, just as in King Arthur's time, except you will be more like business men and women running a large company. Eventually the Knights will include squibs and non magicals as we will be working towards uniting the world under one government. Everyone needs to study hard and pursue your goals in education. We want people from every field, so pursue your dreams. I know we are all young, but we wanted to tell you this to give you a purpose in your lives, something to look forward to."

Hermione joins in," To help you answer your own question Pansy, I will ask another one."

Everyone was enjoying this as they were learning in a fun way. They knew the Elders always talked this way to teach the group.

"Where did King Arthur live?"

She gasps," Camelot; are you saying Hogwarts used to be Camelot?"

"That's exactly what we are saying," Hermione answers," There is one other surprise for you Slytherins."

"What would that be," Tracey asks?

"My grandfather's portrait woke up over the holidays," Hermione says.

"Your grandfather," Daphne asks," Who was he?"

"Salazar Slytherin."She says.

The Slytherins all perk up at this wanting more information.

Hermione waves them down and says," It all started Christmas morning when after breakfast Jocelyn Amber came to professor Snape, saying the door to your house wouldn't open to the password and was hissing at them. Turns out, my grandfather had been awake listening to all of this talk about being purebloods and stuff and got fed up with it. He changed the password and made the snake guarding the door, speak in parseltongue, which of course no one understood. I had to go down there and straighten him out about a few things and now everything is fine. You are all in for a treat as you get to learn from the founder of your house."

Everyone was excited about this and Neville asks," What about the rest of us?"

"I'm not sure if the other founders have woken up yet, but I will ask grandfather to speak to everyone," Hermione says," I think everyone should benefit from his teachings."

Ron speaks up says," Wouldn't it be great to talk to Godrick Gryffindor?"

"Or Rowena Ravenclaw," Luna pips in.

""Yea," Harry says," I'd like to talk to Helga Hufflepuff too."

Hermione says," If this comes about, I think we should arrange a room where all four founders will be available to the whole school."

The children break off their conversation when the trolley lady stops by to sell from her cart. Harry buys a little of everything while Hermione pulls her pick-nick basket out and starts distributing sandwiches and drinks to everyone.

"Is this how it usually is with you guys?" Pansy asks, being the newcomer.

"Pretty much," Luna says," Harry and Hermione are always teaching and helping us to make studying a lot easier. During long sessions such as on the train or on weekends, she always has a basket with lunch for us, even if we aren't actually studying, but just visiting."

Hermione blushes a little at Luna's matter of fact statement.

"I am definitely glad I got together with Draco now," Pansy says.

"You are always welcome Pansy. We are just looking out for the group. You can't concentrate on your studies if your stomach is growling," Hermione says.

"I'll agree with that," Ron says, while stuffing another sandwich in his mouth.

Everyone laughs at his antics, knowing about his bottomless stomach.

"What? I'm a growing boy," He says.

They all laugh again and continue with lunch. When everyone is finished and cleaned up, they each break out a book and start reading for their upcoming classes. In no time at all the train is pulling into Hogsmead Station and the students get ready to depart.

The students all get off and board the carriages for the ride to the castle. When the castle comes into view, the students all stare in wonder at the new battlements and spires and the pristine look of the castle. There is even a mote with a drawbridge, along with an inner yard for the carriages to circle around to the front doors, allowing the students to disembark and get into the castle with minimum exposure to the weather. Mr. Filtch is really happy with this arrangement as there will be no more muddy footprints to clean up. He is standing at the door watching the students as they make their way to the great hall.

When Harry and Hermione climb from their carriage, Mr. Filch bows and says," Welcome home Majesties."

"How are you Mr. Filch?" Hermione asks," Did you have a good holiday?"

"Yes ma'am," He says," Me and Mrs. Norris were happy to sit at your table on Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful new year as well."

"You were very welcome to sit with us and I'm sure Mrs. Norris enjoyed herself as well, I think we may have spoiled her." Harry says smiling.

Everyone in hearing distance was amazed at the attitude Mr. Filtch was showing. He wasn't being the grumpy old man he usually is.

He notices the crowd gathered at the entrance. He winks at Harry and Hermione and says," Listen up you lot. Just because I'm happier about my position now doesn't mean I will be any less strict with you if you get caught breaking the rules or using magic in the hallways. Me and Mrs. Norris will be watching, like we always do."

Harry salutes him, playing along, and says," Yes sir. You have my word on it sir. I promise not to get caught."

Mr. Filtch just chuckles at the children as they make their way into the great hall for dinner.

When Harry and Hermione enter the hall they notice a fifth table sitting in the center aisle. It is beyond the regular house tables, but just inside the two staff tables that were at forty five degree angles up to the single table at the top where the headmaster and Deputy headmaster sits. (Picture an equilateral triangle, with a flat top for the headmasters and the round table bisecting the base.) Above the table, hanging from the rafters, is a new banner. The banner consists of a white phoenix on a deep dark maroon field, almost black, surrounded by the crests of the four founders, with the whole banner outlined in white with gold weaved in. The lectern Hermione made is sitting to the left of the table as you face the round table with your back to the doors.

"The castle has done it again Harry," Hermione moans.

"I can see that," Harry says," I guess we will have to sit there for meals. I want to make sure there are enough extra seats for other students to be able to join us as time goes by."

"I think the table will grow magically as needed. Right now it looks like the right size for our group. There is even a space for Pansy, and she just joined us on the train," Hermione says.

The group all disperse to their separate tables for the welcoming feast. Harry and Hermione walk up to the Headmaster's table.

"Looks like the castle has done it to us again sir," Harry says.

"Do you know what's going on Harry," Albus asks quietly?

"Hermione and I believe the castle is making a place for our inner circle. We had a talk with our study group on the train and we told them that when we get older we will need advisors and friends our own age when we graduate. We will call ourselves the Knights of the Round Table, just like in King Arthur's day but with business suites and robes as needed for the job of uniting this planet. There will always be room for you and the council as long as you are able. We still need your wisdom and experience for this to get off to a good start."

Harry pauses and looks at Hermione as they get information from the castle, then Harry turns back to Albus and says, " The castle just informed me that this is for a new house. For now, it consists only of our study group and will not be sorted like the other houses. A student will have to earn their way in through academics and the willingness to commit to the cause Hermione and I stand for. This is not automatic; they have to be screened by us and the council to be admitted. The castle will let us know when a student shows the right characteristic for admittance. When we are notified, we will bring it to your attention and then try to recruit the student."

The students were getting restless, wondering what was going on.

"I better speak to the students and let them know what is happening. I'm going to call up our study group in a minute. All of their stuff has been moved to the new dorm, including ours. We will still be taking classes with our original houses for now. In the near future that might change as classes for our house will turn to be more in line with our goals. This will start next year with electives being geared toward being able to live in the magical and mundane worlds, even going to university if desired." Harry says, turning to walk over to the lectern.

He and Hermione step on the platform and rise up to a height that everyone can see them clearly. The hall gets quiet when Harry clears his throat.

"I'm sure everyone noticed the change in the castle since you went home for the holidays," He says.

Everyone nods and listens expectantly. They are going to finally find out what is going on.

"Would the following students come up and sit at the round table: Draco Black, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Neville Longbottom, Ron and Jenny Weasley. You now all belong to the House of the White Phoenix."

Just then, Headwig flames in and starts singing her endorsement of the choices made by the Elders. The students that were called notice their robes change to a dark maroon with the Phoenix crest on the front. Their ties are maroon with white stripes lined in gold. Their robes are just light enough to stand out in a crowd of black robes but still blend in if you didn't know the difference. This would later be their uniforms when on missions for the King and Queen.

"Everyone take a good look at the color of the robes we are wearing. Each of these students has access to Harry and me to help solve any problems in the school. If they can't help you, then the problem will move up the chain of command until you get the help you need. If it is a school emergency Harry and I will come immediately to solve the problem." Hermione says.

"I'm sure you noticed the castle is different. That is because the castle has reverted back to its original form." Harry says as he pulls a sword from its scabbard and holds it up," This is Excalibur; the castle is called Camelot and this is mine and Hermione's home."

Neville's voice rings out," Long live the King and Queen!"

Everyone now understands what's going on and stands and bows to the King and Queen, even the teachers.

"Thank you; you may all be seated," Harry says and everyone resumes their seats." After the feast, each house will see a line with arrows in their house colors. Follow these lines to find your dorms. The students that stayed over the holidays witnessed the changes and will help you find your way. On each of your beds, you will find a map to show where the classrooms are. It will be like first year all over again until you get used to it."

Harry and Hermione look at each other and smile. They look back at the students and say in unison," LET THE FEAST BEGIN."

The food appears on the tables and everyone cheers and digs in. Harry and Hermione walk over to the round table where everyone one there is waiting for them before starting. Even Ron is waiting, though he is eying the food like a starving man. After the royal couple is seated everyone starts eating. After finishing his meal, Harry walks up to the headmaster.

"Would the council remain afterwards for a few minutes," Harry asks?

They all give a nod and Harry returns to his seat. After another ten minutes or so the headmaster stands up and says," Welcome back from your holiday. Please retire to your dorms now, for your classes start early in the morning."

Everyone gets up talking about the changes as they make their way to their respective dormitories for the night. After the students have all departed the council gathers at the round table where drinks are provided by the elves.

Harry and Hermione stands up to get everyone's attention. Harry waves his right hand around the table and watches appear on everyone's arms that don't already have them. On the top of the watch is a normal twelve hour clock with a maroon face and a white Phoenix symbol on it. Rolex is the brand on the watch. There are buttons on the side for winding and to open the face to expose the inside. Everyone is admiring their new watch in awe as most of them cannot afford Rolex's at their age.

"The watches are more than they appear," Hermione says," Push the button below the winding stem and the face will open up to show a mirror. The mirror is a communications device and allows you to contact each other, along with myself, Harry and the Council. Please don't use them during class and keep track of whether the person you want to call is in class. These are primarily to be used for situational control, that is, if there is any trouble you need help with you can use them for that. The other thing is they have a built in port key that will bring you to wherever Hermione and I are if you get in over your head and get surrounded by foes. The watches cannot be removed by anyone but yourselves and they will also protect you from all spells, including the unforgivable's. They will not protect you from someone's fist. If you get knocked unconscious you will automatically be port keyed to the hospital wing. The port keys will work through any wards as they use our phasing technology, so you can't be trapped by another's wards."

Harry waves his hand again and a ring and pins appears in front of each student and the council. They each had a maroon face inside a white raised circle with a raised white Phoenix standing further out from the face. It looks like a round table with a Phoenix logo engraved on top.

"These are your identifying rings and pins for when you are out of uniform." Harry says," Please wear them proudly."

A large parchment appears with a flash in the middle of the table.

"This is our charter," Hermione says," It identifies us as a unique group of independent troubleshooters. I can see from some of your faces that term has no meaning for you. Let me explain then. A troubleshooter is a person that is called in to solve a problem. The person called will be based on their skills. An example could be Professor Snape being called to assist a healer figure out if something is wrong with a particular potion or why it is not working as it should. This is for the future though as we are still students. For us it means we try to help our fellow students any way we can. Whether it is help with finding their way to a class or in their studies. As you know, anyone is allowed to join in our study group as long as they are willing to do the work. We want anyone seeing someone in a maroon robe or with a pin or ring to know they can come to us for help."

Harry and Hermione morph into their Pantheras personas to the awe of the students. Their uniforms and cloaks now have a white Phoenix instead of the "P" that was there before.

"We are the Pantheras. Fighters for Truth and Justice," They say in unison.

"I am Hunter and this lovely lady is Huntress. In the future we will be the first generation of Knights and we will initiate the integration the magical and mundane worlds. This will need to take place gradually so we don't frighten the mundane population. We can do this by developing medicines and machinery that incorporate magic. This has already been started in the States and will start to show itself in the next few years, hopefully by the time we graduate. For now let's just start by helping the school and looking for possible recruits. Please read and sign the charter if you are truly interested in this endeavor, or you can go back to your old dorms and nothing will be said. You can still be part of the study group. After signing just follow the white line to the dorm. You names will be on the door to your room."

Harry and Hermione change back to their original forms and watch as the group, one by one, reads and signs the parchment. After all of the students left Headmaster Dumbledore approaches Harry and Hermione.

"I'm very proud of you two. Those are noble goals you set to get the group started. I hope I am still around to see you get successfully started."

"Thank you Grandpa," Harry says," There is already a town in Kansas that was started by Grandpa Charlus Potter. We improved the town while we were there and that is where some of the technology will come from. We have a witch working on hover chairs for paralysis victims and if this works out it will move to other transportation modes. We will need a meeting in the near future to discuss the curriculum for next year."

"Very well," Albus says," I will set it up and notify you."

"Thanks Grandpa," Harry says yawning," I think we will head up to bed. See you in the morning."

"Good night Harry. Albus points to Hermione," I think Hermione beat you to it."

Harry looks over at his wife and smiles while walking over to pick her up bride style to carry her to their dorm. She snuggles into his arms contentedly with her arms around his neck and continues to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 38: The Storm, the Rat and the Dog**

Harry and Hermione are awakened on the morning of the fifth by a loud wailing noise and the walls of the castle giving an occasional shudder. They look out their window to see a howling blizzard going on, but can see very little else.

"We'd better call dad and ask him to check the weather for us on the telly," Harry says," we may have to dig ourselves out of this one and we are also responsible for Hogsmead."

Hermione agrees and opens up her watch to the communication mirror.

"Huntress to George Granger," she says, looking into her mirror.

"Thank god you're all right," Mr. Granger says with Mrs. Granger looking over his shoulder," There is a horrible storm sweeping through Scotland right now with no end in sight."

"We know dad," Hermione says," that is why we are calling. The magical world doesn't have weather service and we wanted to find out what you could tell us."

"It might be better if you came to see for yourself," Mr. Granger says grimly.

"Okay, we'll be there after breakfast," Hermione says.

"See you in a few," her father says and hangs up.

The couple enters the Great Hall and sits at their table to wait on their friends before starting breakfast. Once everyone is done eating, Harry says to the group at the table," This storm looks like it is going to last for a while. We want you to be very visible around the school to help anyone who needs it."

They all nod their understanding and sit up straighter, ready to execute their orders.

Harry and Hermione approach the head table and consult with Professor Dumbledore in an official manner.

"Sir, we are going to go to our home in London to check the weather report on the television and try to get an idea of how bad this storm is." Harry says," Please do a roll call and make sure all students are accounted for. When we get back we will check on Hagrid and Firenze to make sure they are okay along with Hogsmead for anyone caught out in the weather. We will make the announcement."

Harry and Hermione step on the platform in the lectern and rise up to the correct height to be seen.

Most of the hall was full by now, with a few stragglers still coming in.

"Attention everyone," Harry says.

After everyone quiets down and turns toward the Lectern," This storm looks like a bad one. The Headmaster will take a roll call in a bit to make sure everyone is accounted for. If any of you are missing a friend or know of someone that didn't make it back to their dorm last night, please speak up. No one will get into trouble, we just need to make sure everyone is accounted for and not trapped outside in the storm. Furthermore, look to the people in maroon if you need assistance. They have the means to call for help if it is needed."

The group at the Phoenix table stands up to be recognized.

"These people will be available as will the prefects and head boy and girl. Stay in groups of at least two and don't wander off by yourselves until the storm is over." Hermione finishes.

The couple turns toward each other and vanish as they phase to their parent's house in Crawley.

After they left the Headmaster asked each head of house to check their rolls for any missing students.

Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione phase in at their parent's house and walk into the sitting room where the telly is on showing the storm in Scotland. The screen is showing a massive swirling cloud bank with lots of blue and dark blue indicating sub-zero temperatures and snow. The weather reader was forecasting at least a month of this type of weather for northern Scotland.

Mrs. Granger looks up when they walk in and gets up to hug her children.

"They are saying this one will be the worst storm in a thousand years. Usually they only last a day or two, but they are predicting a whole month for this one." she says," Is there anything you can do about the storm with your abilities?"

"No mum," Hermione says," even with our abilities we cannot affect the weather. If we tried, it might change the weather pattern somewhere else and we can't take the chance of making it worse. Unfortunately, Earth's technology isn't ready for planet wide weather control yet."

"That can be done," Mr. Granger asks in astonishment?

"Yes dad," Hermione answers," On the more advanced planets it is done. You have to have the underlying infrastructure and understand the technology to make it work. Eventually, Earth will get there."

Hermione's mum was looking at them funny," You got new uniforms I see, and a new crest too. What happened at school?"

"I figured you would notice mum," Hermione says," The castle decided to create a new house for us and our study group. It is called the House of the White Phoenix. Even our Pantheras uniforms have changed to reflect this. It still has the P but now has the crest and has changed to this dark maroon color. We started a new organization called The Knights of the Round Table, just like in King Arthur's day, only instead of actual knights on horses we will be troubleshooters in business suits. Our long term goal is to bring the planet under one government and to join the Intergalactic Community of Planets. Right now though, we are just school children, so we are educating the other children to our way of thinking in order to bring about a peaceful and united mixed society of magic and mundane peoples. We are starting small in school but this summer we will go to the Queen with our ideas and goals. We hope to recruit suitable mundane members and expand our influence throughout the world. This won't happen overnight but it will happen, or Earth is doomed to destroy itself through greed and religious fanaticism."

"Surly it can't be that bad," Mr. Granger says.

"Unfortunately, it is," Harry says," or we wouldn't be here, or at least married and with these abilities, anyway."

Just then Harry's watch beeps.

Harry and Hermione change into their Panthers personas, just in case.

"Hunter here," he answers.

The Headmasters face appears in the mirror," We are missing a couple of students, a Mr. Jenkins and a Miss Faldon, both are sixth years and were out on the grounds when the storm hit last night."

"Right," Hunter says," We will be right there. We will search the grounds for them."

"Good luck Hunter, I hope you find them safe," Albus says.

"We'll find them. Hunter out." He says closing his watch.

Hunter looks at Huntress," Ready Huntress?"

"Ready Hunter," She answers.

Their parents yell at them as they phase out," Good luck out there."

They phase back in to the middle of Hogsmead with the wind blowing and howling real loud. The couple is surrounded by their signature blue halo that is present whenever they are in hostile environmental conditions.

"_Let's try the Three Broomsticks first,"_ Hunter sends, since the wind is too loud for them to hear each other.

They phase into the main room of the pub, startling the patrons that were either caught there or were brave (or stupid) enough to go out in the storm.

"We are looking for a couple of Hogwarts students that got caught out in the storm," Hunter says.

"No students here," Madam Rosemerta says," Who are you? I've never seen around these parts before."

"We are the Panteras," The couple says in unison.

"We work for the Potter's whenever we are needed." Huntress finishes.

She looks over to Hunter and says," we better split up. Check all of the stores and homes on this side of the village and I will check the other side."

Hunter nods and they phase out.

"Did you see that," one of the patrons asks?

"Yea, that wasn't apparition," another one says," more like fading away."

"I wonder if those were the Elders we keep hearing about, but never see," a third patron says, speculating.

The Hunters phase in and out of each building looking for the missing children and not having any luck. They meet back at the entrance to town, where Hunter sends to Huntress:

"_I saw a cave just west of the town. It looks like a good place to shelter from the storm. Let's check it out," _

She nods to him and he takes off flying toward the cave with her following. When they arrive and land at the entrance they see it is too small to admit them in their current form so they change back to Harry and Hermione. They didn't want to try phasing into an unknown cave; they might startle a dangerous animal or something. When they shimmied through the entrance they found a black dog curled up in the back of the cave asleep shivering. Harry immediately sealed the cave from the storm and cast a warming charm on the cave to warm it up. Eventually the dog stopped shivering and woke up when he noticed the warmth. He looked up at Harry and Hermione and started whining, then shuffled on his haunches over to them and stuck his nose in Harry's hand. Harry and Hermione started running their hands along his back smoothing his coat out.

Harry looks at Hermione and sends_," I think this might be my godfather."_

She nods and sends,_" I agree, let's find out."_

Harry looks at the dog and asks," Are you my godfather?"

The dog had been watching Harry and Hermione ever since he arrived at Hogwarts and knew they would not harm him so he changes into Sirius Black.

"Hello pup," he whispers out in a voice that is very hoarse from disuse.

With tears in his eyes Harry runs over to him and hugs him for all he is worth. Hermione joins him with her own tears at seeing Harry so happy to finally have one of his family members back.

"Tippy?" Harry calls out.

Tippy pops in and says," What can I do for you my lord?"

"Please take my godfather to our rooms in the castle and allow him to clean up and eat. Then find some cloths that will fit him. The castle has already made a room for him."

Tippy bows to Harry and says," As you command sire."

Harry looks at Sirius and says," Go with Tippy. She will see you are fed and cleaned up. Stay in our suite and you will be safe. We have two missing students to find and will talk to you when we are done with our search."

"Okay pup," Sirius whispers," Good luck on your search."

He then turns to Tippy, bows and whispers again," At your service."

Tippy grabs a hand and pops them out of the cave to the King and Queens's suite. Sirius is a bit surprised to see the opulence of the suite and starts to wonder what is going on. Tippy places a meal for him at the dining table and Sirius Black sits down to his first decent meal in twelve years. After he finishes he is shown to a bath that is big enough to swim in and settles in for a long soak to get the cold out of his bones.

Meanwhile Harry and Hermione exit the cave and turn back into their Pantheras personas and continue the search. Once back on the school grounds they change back to their original form and fly around the grounds using their special vision to see through the snow packed on the grounds while looking for heat signatures. As they fly over the greenhouses they notice a couple of extra heat signatures inside greenhouse four. They have to tunnel through the snow to get to the main entrance since the snow is so deep it is up to the level of the roof. The greenhouses are arranged in order of how dangerous the plants inside are. They are all connected to a main hallway that runs from the main doors down the whole row to greenhouse seven. Harry and Hermione walk into greenhouse four and find the couple huddled together in a corner looking at them with hope in their eyes that their rescuers were here.

"Are you two alright?" Harry asks the young man while Hermione checks on the young woman.

"Yes Elders," the young man says respectfully," We ran in here when the storm started, we thought it would only last an hour or so. Can you get us back to the castle?"

"Yes, both of you grab a hand and we will phase you to the Headmaster's office so he can see you are alright." Hermione says."

Harry opens his watch to the mirror section and calls out," Headmaster Dumbledore."

Albus' face appears in the mirror," Have you found them?"

"Yes Headmaster, we will be in your office momentarily. You might get Madam Pomphrey to come and check them over. We found them in greenhouse four."

"Very well Mr. Potter," Albus says keeping it formal," I will meet you there."

They each take a hand and Harry and Hermione phase them to the headmaster's office where he is waiting, along with the school healer to check them over.

"That wasn't apparition," The young man says," I've side-alonged with my father and it doesn't feel like this. There was no squeezing or pressure at all."

"They call it phasing," the Headmaster says," It is a most unique way to travel."

"Can we learn this," Miss Faldon asks?

"Unfortunately, only they can do it," The Headmaster answers," I'm afraid all us normal witches and wizards will have to stick with apparition. You will be taught this year how to do it and when you turn seventeen you will be allowed to test for your license."

"They check out fine Albus," Madam Pomphrey says after giving them a good once over with her wand.

"Very well, you may go. You were very lucky we have Harry and Hermione and their unique abilities or you may have been stuck out there for a long time," Professor Dumbledore says.

"Yes sir," both students say, then turn to Harry and Hermione and thank them as well before leaving the office.

Harry turns to Albus and says with his eyes shining and with a big smile," We have news Grandpa."

"What news have you brought me young King," Albus says grandly, with his eyes twinkling, playing along with his grandson.

"We found my godfather, Sirius Black," Harry says," He was in a cave near Hogsmead."

Albus sits up and says," You must bring him in Harry. We have to find a way to clear his name. Besides, it's too cold out there, he could die."

"Way ahead of you Grandpa," Harry says smiling," He is in our suite right now getting cleaned up and fed. We also know Petigrew is alive somewhere. We saw his name on our map before the holidays, but couldn't find him. We think he may be the rat that Sirius chased out of Ron Weasley's room. If he has the dark mark he won't be able to get back in the castle and that may be why we haven't seen him since. Hopefully he is still nearby and we will eventually find him."

"I'd like to see this map of yours someday," Albus says.

"You can see it any time you want Grandpa. It is in our suite. We've been using it to monitor the school for intruders," Hermione says.

"Before we go to our rooms we still need to check on Hagrid and Firenze to make sure they are okay." Harry says," We will talk to Sirius when we get back. He can't get out of our suite and no one can get in right now. He is probably sleeping anyway."

"Very well Harry," Albus says," I will see you later at the evening meal."

"Why don't we have our meal in our suite this evening and see what needs to be done for Sirius," Hermione suggests.

Harry turns to her and says," Good idea sweetheart."

He turns back to Albus," That okay with you Grandpa?"

Albus smiles at his grandchildren and says," That will be fine. I will see you then."

Harry and Hermione phase out to the centaur's camp and find it empty.

"They must have left for the shelter of the forest when the storm hit," Hermione says.

Harry looks around and spots a piece of parchment tied around a rock.

"Hermione look, I found a note," Harry says.

They look at the note together and read:

Elders,

If you are reading this, thank you for looking out for us.

We have moved deeper into the forest and will be fine.

Our kind can withstand this type of weather for long periods.

We will be back when the storm has run its course.

Firenze

"Well, at least we know they are safe," Hermione says," Let's check on Hagrid.

Harry nods and they take to the air to check out Hagrid's hut to make sure there is no damage to the outside. When they get there they see a lot of smoke billowing from his chimney and the snow has practically buried his hut. They use their laser vision to clear the snow around the hut and put up a ward to keep additional snow from burying it again, along with an environmental charm to keep it from getting too cold within the ward. The ward also takes in the animal houses Hagrid has all around. Harry and Hermione visit the chicken coop and put a heating charm on the supports to keep the chickens from freezing.

"That should do it," Harry says," Let's make sure he has plenty of food and arrange for an elf to help him if he needs it."

They walk up to the door and knock.

Hagrid opens the door with a surprised look on his face that anyone would be out in this storm. He looks around and notices the area around his hut is clear and steps outside.

"This is amazin'" he says," You two do this?"

"Yes Hagrid," Hermione responds," We couldn't let you be trapped in your hut. The storm is forecasted to last for a month."

"What's forecasted mean?" Hagrid asks. It was a word he had never heard before.

"It's a word that mundane weather scientists use to predict the weather," Harry says.

"They can do that?" Hagrid asks astonished.

"Yes Hagrid, they can," Hermione says," We went home today to look at the Telly to see how long the storm is likely to last and the weather person said this is the worst storm in a thousand years. We came to check on you to make sure you had adequate supplies for you and your animals and to see if you needed anything else. We can assign you an elf to bring food from the castle if you need it."

"Thank ye very much Hermione and Harry," I will be fine and if I needs in the castle I can get an elf to take me."

"You're very welcome Hagrid," Hermione says," If the storm lasts as long as they say it will, we will come and visit every few days to give you some company so you won't get too lonely out here by yourself."

Hagrid eyes leak a few tears as he is a very emotional person for such a large man. He grabs the two of them up in a large hug and says," You two are the best friends and man could ask for. You are very welcome to come by any time. Oh, Before you go, I have something for you. Or I should say for Mr. Weasley. I found his rat Scabbers hiding in the chicken coop just as the storm blew up."

He goes inside and comes back out with Scabbers in a small cage and hands him over to Harry.

"Tell Ron I said to take better care of his pets," He says.

"We will remind him, thanks Hagrid," Hermione says.

Harry takes the cage and the couple starts to walk away. When they are out of sight of Hagrid Harry stuns the rat in the cage and commands Camelot to allow Scabbers to cross the inner ward line. He looks over to Hermione and they phase back to their suite to check the map to be sure they have who they think they have. When they arrive in the suite they look in on Sirius and find him asleep in his room. After closing the door quietly they walk over to the map and sure enough, it now shows Harry and Hermione, along with Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew in the suite.

"We need to tell Grandpa," Hermione says.

After consulting the map and seeing that he is in his office still. They take the cage and phase to the Headmaster's office where he looks up from his work and asks," Back already?"

"Yes Grandpa," Harry says holding up the cage," Look what Hagrid caught."

"Set the cage on my desk Harry and we will test to see if your theory is right," Albus says gravely.

Harry sets the cage on the desk and Albus waves his wand to ward his office just in case. He then vanishes the cage and points his wand at the rat," Homorphus." he incants.

A blue white light leaves his wand and hits the rat, forcing a change to start happening . They watch as the rat slowly changes into a small man with a rat like face and ragged robes. They search his pockets and find two wands. One is a normal wand while the other one is all white and wicked looking made out of bone with a handle like a claw. Harry picks up the white wand and pushes his magic into it, promptly burning out the core and making the wand inert and unable to be repaired.

"The wand is now useless," Harry says," It's non repairable and will not work for anyone ever again. It is a good looking wand and will make a nice wall ornament for someone."

"How did you manage that Harry," Albus asked?

"Any wand Hermione or I try to use will burn out the instant we push our magic through it," Harry says.

"But I see you using your wands while taking classes," Albus says," I know you can do wandless magic as I've seen you do it a few times, plus I've heard rumors."

"They're just for show Grandpa," Hermione says," We've been doing wandless magic since we got our wands when we were eleven. The cores burned out on our first wave in Ollivander's shop. He is making us staves right now and even with those we will have to hold back our power to keep them from burning out as well."

"I look forward to seeing your staves when they are done," Albus says, then looking over at Petigrew," Let's get Madam Bones in here to interrogate Mr. Petigrew."

Headmaster Dumbledore moves over to his fireplace to floo call Ms. Bones.

"Madam Bones DMLE office," Dumbledore calls out.

He sticks his head in the green flames and waits for her to answer.

On the other end Madam Bones is sitting at her desk when she hears the fireplace flare up. She turns slightly to her left and sees Headmaster Dumbledore's face in the flames.

"What can I do for you Headmaster," She asks?

"Can you come to Camelot? We've had an incident," he says," Please bring Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks with you."

"What's this about Albus?" she asks as she sends a summons to her two aurors.

"You'll see when you get here," Albus says grimly.

Albus pulls his head from the flames and a minute later the fireplace flares again to admit Madam Bone and her two aurors.

Madam Bone looks over at the man bound to the chair and gasps," That's Peter Petigrew. He's supposed to be dead."

"He was my parent's secret keeper," Harry says from where he is standing," **He** betrayed my parents, **not** Sirius Black. Sirius is my godfather and the godfather oath would have prevented his harming me in any way.

She looks over at Harry when he speaks up and says," Very well sire. What would you have me do with him? As my King it is your call."

"Hermione and I swore we would not interfere in the day to day operations of the ministry unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Even though this is personal, we will stand by our word and let the law take care of him. He deserves a trial as do all criminals," Harry says," A little veritaserum should clear up any doubts you may have. One way or the other we will stand by your decision."

Madam Bones looks at Harry with greater respect at his willingness to defer to her and not just take the law into his own hands, even though he had a right to do so as King.

"Kingsley, if you would," she asks?

Kingsley walks over to Mr. Petrigrew and enervates him, then takes up position on one side while Tonks is on the other. Pertigrew wakes up and shakes his head groggily as he discovers he is tied up and can't move. He looks around the room and sees Dumbledore, along with Harry and Hermione. He doesn't spot the two Aurors behind him and on either side as Madam Bones walks into his line of sight.

"I'm very surprised to see you Mr. Petigrew," she starts off, keeping it formal," You are supposed to be dead. Yet here you sit. I wonder what other lies about you are out there? I wonder if it really was Sirius Black that betrayed the Potters and killed those muggles twelve years ago."

Mr. Pettigrew scrunches down in his chair as much as the ropes will allow him as she berates him.

"It **was** him," he croaks," I just barely got away with my life."

"Then you won't mind my using veritaserum to confirm your story," she says," If you are right then you have nothing to worry about."

"Wait a minute before you administer the serum Director," Harry says," I want Minister Fudge here as well for this. He was the one that sent those dementors here and we need to have a few words about this fiasco with him. We should be back within the hour."

Watch him," Hermione says as she gets ready to go with Harry," He is a rat animagus."

Dora slaps some magic suppressing cuffs on him the instant she hears that.

"He ain't goin' nowhere," she drawls, watching Petrigrew slump even more as his last chance of escape goes out the window. She looks up just as the Potters phase out.

"Amazin' how they do that," she says with pride.

"Yea," Madam Bones agrees.

At the same instance as the happenings in the Headmaster's office, Minister Fudge is returning to his office from a trip to Gringotts for the purpose of checking the Potters claim about being King and Queen. He enters his office, hangs his coat up and sits down in his comfortable office chair. While sipping his afternoon tea, he contemplates on how he is going to handle the Potters, when a movement to his left catches his eye as they phase in. He looks over at the movement and stands up bowing his head towards them.

Harry and Hermione nod back to him while Harry conjures a couple of chairs for him and Hermione to sit in and gestures for the Minister to sit as well.

"We wanted to clear the air with you minister and then you are coming with us to Camelot to help clear up a matter that came to our attention today," Harry says.

"Camelot," the Minister asks?

"That was Hogwarts original name before the founders took over the castle in 932. It was given to them by Mordred's descendent on the proviso that the castle is made into a school for magic and its appearance be changed. Mordred was Arthur's illegitimate son through Morgana and Merlin's magic. She was Merlin's apprentice at the time and wanted to bed Arthur in effort to try to steal his crown in revenge for the death of her father, King Gorlois of Cornwall. Mordred had impregnated a young maiden who was his mistress and was going to make her his queen when he killed his father. He didn't know Merlin had been watching him and the maiden and told the maiden that Mordred would not survive the battle and neither would Arthur. He offered to take her and her son under his wing and train them in magic away from all of the bloodshed and war. She agreed and that is how I am descended directly from King Arthur Pendragon."

Minister Fudge sits there and listens attentively to what he is told. He now believes that Harry Potter truly is the King and Hermione is his Queen.

"I was just sitting here contemplating on how we could interact which each other when you appeared." he says," I was still a little skeptical until now. I don't think anyone knows those details about King Arthur."

"The goblins do," Hermione says," That's how we found out about our history after Harry pulled the sword from the stone."

"Yes, they do," the Minister agrees," They keep excellent records and after your show at the beginning of the year I finally just had to go and see for myself about your claim. I like to keep myself informed on any political rivals I might have. I just returned to my office as was enjoying my afternoon tea when you arrived. I would offer you some but you don't look like you are here for tea. What can I do for you sire?"

Harry and Hermione relax a bit now that they know they don't have to worry about Mister Fudge trying to fight them politically.

"Minister Fudge," Harry says," You are our public face to the magical population. Your position is elected by the people and we want to work with you and support you in your job as minister. As long as you do a good job we will not interfere in the day to day running of the Ministry. However, your Undersecretary, Madam Umbridge, was broadcasting some very unpleasant thoughts and ideas when we saw her in the wizengamot chambers and again at the beginning of the school year. She may be a good administrator, but you need to make sure she understands we will not tolerate her prejudices. If she has a legitimate grievance about something she can bring it up with us and we will discuss it with her. Please keep her on a tight leash."

"I will do that," Fudge says," I've told her repeatedly that her ideas wouldn't fly with the general public."

"Very well," Harry says," Now, what we need from you today is to come to Camelot with us. The Chief Warlock is there as you know and we also have Madam Bones there. We found both Sirius Black **and** Peter Petigrew caught out in the storm that is currently going on in Scotland. They are both at the school as we speak. Petigrew was my parent's secret keeper and Black is my godfather, so he couldn't have betrayed my parents because of the oath he had to take to never harm me intentionally. Petigrew is a rat animagus and that is how he escaped the day those mundanes were killed. All the aurors could find of his body was a finger and Petrigrew is missing half of one of his fingers."

"I had forgotten about that oath," Minister Fudge says," but he was still caught at the scene of those murders. I wasn't minister at the time so I didn't know he did not have a trial until recently. Let's go see about clearing this up shall we?"

They all stand and Harry takes one of Fudges arms to phase them directly to the Headmaster's office. On arrival the Minister nods in approval as he spots Petrigrew bound to a chair in the Headmasters office and looks over at Madam Bones.

"What's happened so far?"

"Nothing yet Minister," she replies," Mr. Potter insisted you be here as witness."

"Then proceed," the Minister gives the go ahead.

She nods at him and pulls from her pocket the vial of veritaserum that Auror Shacklebolt obtained from ministry stores. She puts three drops on the struggling prisoner's tongue.

"What is your full name?" she starts out after his eyes glaze over from the potion.

"Peter Charles Petigrew," he answers back in a monotone.

"Did you betray the Potter's to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," she asks?

"Yes," he answers.

"What about Sirius Black?" she asks," he was the secret keeper."

"No, Black was a decoy to draw off the Death Eaters," he answers.

"Explain," she says.

"We switched after their third escape in order to confuse the enemy," he says," The Dark Lord was pleased when I gave him the secret. He promised I could have Lily as payment for my loyalty to him. James was already dead as nobody defies the Dark Lord for long and lives. I was hoping to at least save her. She never made fun of me in school."

"Were you a Death Eater then," she asks?

"Yes," he says.

"Who recruited you," she asks?

"Lucius Malfoy. He promised I could have power and I could be an important player with my ability," He says.

Harry raises his hand to ask a question.

"Can anyone get the dark mark unwillingly?"

"No, you have to want it or it will not take." He replies.

"Even under the Imperius Curse?" Harry asks?

"No, the Imperius Curse takes away free will and the mark will not take," Peter responds.

Harry nods to Madam Bones to continue.

"What happened with the twelve muggles and you? All we could find was a finger," she asks.

"Black chased me for two days and finally cornered me in a dead end street. To frame him, I yelled out in front of all those people, asking him why he killed the Potters and he just started laughing. While he was distracted I cut off my finger and blew up the street to get away. I changed into my rat form and escaped into the sewers." Peter says.

The Minister, appalled by what he hears, says," I'm convinced; let's get Black in here to clear this whole mess up."

Harry nods and phases out of the office to his suite, where Sirius has just woken up from his nap. He sees Harry phase in and smiles at him.

"Feeling better," Harry asks?

"Yes," Sirius says," best meal I've had in years and it feels good to be clean again."

"I have some good news for you," Harry says," We have Peter Petigrew in custody and he confessed to everything in front of the Minister and Madam Bones. We just need to get you over to the Headmaster's office and get you cleared as well."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asks and starts to go to the door.

"Not that way," Harry says and grabs Sirius' arm and phases them to the Headmaster's office.

When they phase in Harry notices the prisoner has left with the Aurors while Madam Bones stayed behind. Minister Fudge walks over to Mr. Black and grabs his hand to shake it.

"I'm terribly sorry for the miscarriage of justice you had to endure Lord Black. I will get an official release and compensation for you by tomorrow. I was not minister at the time and I did not know you were not given a trial or charged. You should have been released after thirty days if no charges were officially brought against you.

"Thank you minister," Lord Black says," you have my vote for being honest and for your promptness when you found out I wasn't guilty."

The Minister stands a little straighter and smiles at Lord Black's statement. Hermione clears her throat to get their attention.

"What else did we learn today Minister?"

"I don't know what you mean," Minister Fudge says with a curious look on his face.

Dumbledore smiles, as he knows this is their teaching style. Harry moves over to stand by her and takes her hand. The top people in the magical government, the Chief warlock, the Minister for Magic and the Director of the Magical Law enforcement all look at her, wondering what she is going to say. Lord Black just sits back to see what his godson's obvious girlfriend is going do.

She smiles back at them calmly and repeats what Petigrew said," _The dark mark cannot be taken unwillingly. The imperious curse cannot force a person to take the mark."_

She pauses for a minute to let that sink in. The Minister and Madam Bones nod their heads in understanding. Then she continues.

"Anyone who used that as a defense in the last war was lying. The dark mark was invented by Voldemort as a tool to leach magic from his followers to increase his own power and to make them do his bidding. Otherwise he could have just gone around to anyone and Imperiused them to use for magical batteries to increase his power through the mark. He lured them in with false promises and once marked, he had them. The problem we have to solve is who was a rank and file soldier and who were the leaders? Like we said in our first Wizengomot session, every war has soldiers that follow orders. A good leader will train his soldiers in the hope he will fight well and live to fight again. Voldemort did not care for his men and used them like cannon fodder. His recruiters must have been very good or the general public never knew what actually went on behind the scenes. It's easy to cast a memory charm to make your squad buddies forget the casualties. What we need to find out is who gave the orders. Voldemort wasn't stupid and had to have help in planning his attacks. It's the Generals that did the planning and the enforcers who made the soldiers do their bidding that are the true guilty ones in the war for all of the atrocities that were done. Again, the rank and file soldier could have been Obliviated to keep them loyal, while Voldemort continued to leach magic from them."

"What do you think we should do about it Majesty," Madam Bones asks?

"We will let you decide," Hermione says," Now that you know for sure, you could screen everyone at the ministry for the dark mark and make them take truth serum to see what their jobs were in the war and arrest the truly guilty ones, or you can let things stand as they are and look out for anyone doing something suspicious. The leaders know Voldemort is not dead and will eventually come back. **They** are biding their time while the rank and file soldiers were just glad the war was over and they could get back to their lives. They don't know that when Voldemort comes back they will be forced right back in it again because of their marks."

"Surely he won't be back anytime soon," Minister Fudge laments," It's been twelve years."

"We don't know when he will be back," Harry says," but Hermione and I have a plan for when he does come back. That is why we gave you the choice to handle this however you want."

"We will have to take this up in the summer Wizengamot session," the Minister says.

"Very well Minister," Harry says," Just remember you already have eighteen marked members left after the one that tried to kill Hermione that first session two years ago. They have had plenty of time to gather followers and sympathizers so it may not be easy to get a law passed. You could set up a dark mark detector and discreetly go after them that way. A good curse breaker should know how to do that."

"We will think about your ideas Majesty," Madam Bones says while looking at the minister with a stern look. The minister cringes under her glare but agrees by nodding his head.

With that said, the two take the floo to return to their offices.

"That was a nice move, putting that question in the mix," Professor Dumbledore says.

"We thought it might make them realize they now have a way to legally go after the former Death Eaters if they want to peruse it. It doesn't really matter to us as long they keep their noses clean and stay out of trouble. We asked the question to give Madam Bones a tool she can use if she wants it." Harry says.

"If I know her," Albus says," She will find a way to use it."

"And we will back her up if she needs it," Hermione states.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 39: Getting Back Together**

Now that the excitement is over, Albus looks over to Lord Black and says," It's good to finally get you freed Sirius. I knew you hadn't had a trial but without Petigrew, along with the evidence showing you killed all those people, and with the times being the way they were; you got lost in the shuffle. Even I could not get a trial set up for you."

"That's alright Albus," Sirius says," I'm just glad it is all over and I am free to take care of my godson now."

Sirius looks over at the couple and smiles," It looks like he already has a girlfriend, and at such a young age. James would be proud."

Albus chuckles, while Harry and Hermione look back at Sirius with a smirk on their faces.

"We know something you don't know," they say in unison, then turn to the Headmaster," Should we tell him Grandpa?"

Sirius asks while looking at Albus," Grandpa?"

"Maybe we should retire to their suite to discuss this Sirius," Albus says," You have missed quite a bit by being out of circulation."

"Yea," he replies while scratching the back of his head.

Harry takes hold of Sirius while Hermione holds onto Grandpa and the group phases to the Royal Suite.

Harry holds up his hand to stop Sirius from questioning him and calls out," Tippy?"

Tippy pops in and curtsies to Harry," What can Tippy Potter do for you my Lord?"

"Could you set a table for six, then you and your mate join us for dinner tonight?"

"Yes my lord," she responds and pops away.

"Was that a house elf," Sirius asks?

"She used to be." Hermione responds, snuggling up to Harry and looking at him with love in her eyes, "My Harry found a solution to their curse and returned them to their original form. At least the ones that we have access to."

"She looks taller and different," Sirius says," and she talks real well."

Tippy pops in and announces," Dinner is served my Lord and Lady."

"Thank you Tippy," Hermione says.

"We have a lot to tell you Sirius," Harry says," Let's sit around the dinner table and we will tell you our story."

They all walk into the dining room and Sirius is amazed again at the two elves sitting at the table with them. He looks at Harry with a questioning look on his face.

"The elves have to bond with a witch or wizard or they lose their magic and then just fade away." Harry starts out," Neither Hermione or I believe in slavery. Since we couldn't free them without killing them, we bonded with them as family. They are now all Potters and are very happy."

The two elves just nod their heads when Sirius looks over at them while the elves keep on with their meal. He looks back at the couple and says," Okay, I'll accept that. I don't understand, but I'll take your word for it, for now. I also noticed right away when you first brought me here, you aren't living in a dorm with the rest of the kids and these quarters are quite opulent. There must be a reason."

"Yes there is," Harry says, pausing for a minute," What do you know about the Legend of the Elders?"

"Not much," he replies," just what every pureblood family is taught. That Merlin was thought to be one and there hasn't been one since."

"You're looking at two of them," Harry replies smiling at his godfather's surprised look," Hermione and I are more than Elders though. We are a soul bonded couple and have been married since we were eight years old. That has nothing to do with this suite though. We were sorted into Hufflepuff in our first year and had quarters of our own because of our bond. This suite is new to us and was given to us by the castle after the Christmas break."

"That explains your closeness," Sirius says as he observes them next to each other," What about your parents Hermione? Did they object to you two having to sleep together because of the bond?"

"Oh no," Hermione responds with a smile," they understood completely. Besides, we were just kids. Even now, because of our bond, we aren't having the hormonal fluctuations normal teenagers have at our current ages. Let me ask you a question Sirius. This has relevance to the question you just asked."

He waves his hand to go ahead.

"What do you know about Astronomy?"

"Quite a bit, actually," he says," It was a big issue with my family. Everyone in the Black family is named after stars or constellations. My name is Sirius. My Father's name was Orion. My cousins are named Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa, who is the only one to escape that fate. We had to learn the constellations and star names along with all the planets. Why do you ask?"

"Then you should know what a galaxy is, correct," she asks?

He nods in the affirmative.

"Do you believe there is the possibility of life on other planets, circling other stars, besides our own solar system," she asks again?

"Believe it or not," he says," because of Lilly, there was a room at the cottage in Godric's Hollow that was shielded from magic so they could have a TV and sound system. My favorite person in astronomy was Carl Sagan. He had a favorite saying that goes something like this:' There are billions and billions of stars out there. If our planet is the only one with life on it, wouldn't that be an awful waste of space?'"

"Good, you have an open mind about that," Hermione says with a smile," What I am about to tell you is going to blow your mind. Humans. Us; as a race, is very old. As of now we have spread out over at least twenty eight of the nearest galaxies. We haven't run into any space fairing non humans yet, but this galaxy is the newest one to be explored so far. Earth is the first planet we have discovered with humans on it that has evolved separately from the rest of the known planets. There could be other races that have evolved on their own that we don't know about yet. It would be interesting to meet another race if there are any."

"You talk as if you know this for sure," Sirius says while sitting back in his chair with a very interested look on his face.

"We do," Harry says," Hermione and I are genetically engineered hybrids from a planet called Solust in the Genova Galaxy. Our DNA is a combination of both our parents from Earth and donors from Solust. Unfortunately, Solust's star went nova about the time I was born, so mum and dad never knew they were helped into having a baby when mum couldn't because of a childhood injury. Hermione's parents knew about the process because they volunteered for it. She is a little over ten months older than me, so when they checked the blood line of her parents, they fit right in with a prophesy that was made about two children that would be born to save the peoples of Earth from destroying themselves. They found my parents blood line through ministry records and waited until the proper time so I would be born at the end of July in order to fulfill the Prophesy."

Harry and Hermione go on to explain the rest of their story to Sirius and bring him up to date on current happenings in at the school. Dumbledore explains the reason he is their Grandpa.

"One last thing about us Sirius; since you brought it up earlier," Hermione says with a very serious and direct look on her face," People from Solust age and mature at a different rate than people from Earth. Our bodies will continue to grow until we reach our majority here on Earth because of our Earth parents. We will not be able to, nor have the urge to have children until we reach the age of thirty five Earth years. That is normal for us. By then, we will still appear to be in our early twenties and that won't change for us, ever. Harry and I are okay with this as it gives us plenty of time to finish our schooling and establish ourselves as the Elders of this planet in the minds of its people."

"I don't mean to be a prude, but that does ease my mind a bit," Sirius says, with a sigh of relief," must be my upbringing."

"We have an unrelated question for you Sirius," Harry says and then asks," Do you have a place to live?"

"The Black Manor at Grimmauld Place in London is still there but hasn't been opened in twelve years." He says contemplating, and then silently mumbling to himself," I wonder if Kreacher is still there."

"If you want; you can stay here Sirius," Hermione offers." At least for a few days until the Minister can get your paperwork done and a statement to the press."

"Thank you guys, that means a lot to me," Sirius replies," I can get to know you two better and maybe help out around the castle."

"Excellent," Harry says happily as he runs around the table to hug his godfather.

Professor Dumbledore speaks as he stands up," Thank you for the wonderful dinner and conversation but I must get back to my office. I'll see you at breakfast in the morning."

"Goodnight Grandpa," Harry and Hermione say together.

He waves at them as he walks out the door. As he is walking down the hallway towards his office and quarters he runs into Professor McGonagall, who herself is on her way to the Headmasters office to report in.

"All of the students are accounted for and safe in their common rooms Albus," she says.

"That's good to know Minerva," he replies," let's go to my office. I have some news."

"Not more bad news Albus," she says following.

He lifts his hand up to silence her and she hurries after him to his office. When they arrive and get comfortable Albus looks at her and says," Sirius Black was brought in tonight by Harry and Hermione."

She gasps and looks around the room as if she thought he might be there.

"They also brought in Peter Petigrew," he adds.

She sits up in surprise," I thought he was dead."

"We all did," he responds wearily," It did turn out to be a good night though, after all was said and done."

"What happened Albus," she asks?

"It turns out that Peter Petigrew was the secret keeper for the Potters and not Sirius Black." He says with a smile," Mr. Petigrew confessed everything to Director Bones and Minister Fudge earlier tonight. Sirius has been freed and is staying with the Potters for now."

"I had a feeling Sirius couldn't have done it," Minerva says, smiling now, "Him and James were like brothers."

She then adds as an afterthought," Professor Lupin could use an assistant, if you want to keep Sirius here. We should assign someone as a sponsor for the new house as well."

"You were right about your first statement Minerva, but for a different reason. The godparents vow would have prevented Sirius from betraying them. And, your idea is a good one. It will give him an excuse to stay here and bond with Harry and Hermione as family."

"I will let him know in the morning then," she says standing up," good night Albus."

She closes the door quietly on her way out and Albus gets up to retire to his chambers for the night.

Back in the Royal Suite, Sirius is telling the couple stories of his and Harry parents days in Hogwarts when they were young. Everyone is laughing and having a good time when Harry lets out a loud yawn.

"You two should go on to bed and get some sleep," Sirius says," It had to be draining, going out in that storm the way you did."

"That's a good idea Sirius," Hermione says yawning also," Good night."

Everyone retires to their rooms for the night.

/

The next morning Harry and Hermione awaken at their normal time and after cleaning up proceed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When the Potter's enter the Hall they notice Sirius sitting at the head table, surprisingly enough, right next to Professor Snape. The two are chatting away like old friends.

"I didn't expect to see that," Harry comments to Hermione as the make their way to the Phoenix table.

"Me neither," she comments back." I thought they were enemies in school."

"They were, after fifth year," Harry says thinking," I bet that is the year he took the mark. That mark changes people. Before that they used to prank each other on principle because of their houses. Up until then, him and mum were friends. At least that was what mum wrote in her diary."

As they are talking, the rest of the house joins them at the round table one by one. Soon everyone is enjoying their meal, talking about the storm still blowing outside and their classes for the day. While everyone is eating the Headmaster stands and walks to the lectern, getting everyone's attention.

"We have a new person joining our staff this morning. I would like to introduce Sirius Black. He has been cleared of all charges and the real culprit has been found and arrested." He announces," he will be helping Professor Lupin with defense class and also will be the head of Phoenix house."

Everyone looks at Black startled, then sighs in relief at the news of his innocence and the girls all take an interest in the handsome new teacher. At least the older ones do, especially when he stands up to give them a bow. While he is doing this, his robes change to the dark maroon color of his new house and he sits back down examining the change.

After the announcement the mail owls fly in and drop off their parcels, which includes copies of the Daily Prophet newspaper, which corroborates Professor Dumbledore's statement about the now Professor Black.

After breakfast is over, Professor Black walks over to the Phoenix table and sits next to the Potters.

"Looks like you have me as your head of house," he says to the table occupants in general, then looks to Harry and Hermione," I know you explained about the new house last night but what will my duties be?"

"Welcome aboard Professor." Hermione says with a smile," Since the Headmaster thinks it's a good idea to assign you to us, your duties are fairly simple. You will be the leader of our house here at school and the charter should give you an idea of our long term goals. Some of our goals will require you to leave the school on occasion."

Harry conjures a watch, ring and pin set for Sirius to wear and gives instruction on how the watch works.

"Do you think we could use the Black estate at Grimmauld Place for an off campus headquarters," Harry asks?

"We don't want to use our personal home, as that is where our parents live or the castle because of the students," Hermione clarifies.

"I really don't like that house but I suppose it can be cleaned up," Sirius says contemplating the idea," It does have a nice library and the wards are very strong. Mind you we will have to deal with the painting of my mother. She was a very strong supporter of Voldemort's ideals and a staunch Slytherin. She's not very nice."

"Oh that won't be a problem," Hermione holds up her Slytherin ring to remind Sirius of who she is.

Sirius gets a big smile on his face as he thinks_," This is going to be the biggest prank that could ever be pulled on mother. She'll automatically think Hermione is a muggleborn just from her maiden name. I would love to see her put in her place by a teenage girl."_

"Could we play a prank on her," he asks?

They look at him with raised eyebrows.

"I will introduce you as my godson Harry and Hermione as your girlfriend," Sirius clarifies," she is such a pureblood bigot that one look at you will set her off immediately. I have always wanted to get back at her for what she did to my brother."

"What did she do Sirius," Hermione asks concerned?

"She brainwashed him into joining the Death Eaters and he was killed by Voldemort for some reason," Sirius says," I'll never forgive her for that. It's one of the main reasons I ran away from home when I was sixteen. I have your Grandfather Charlus to thank for giving me a place to stay Harry. That's what led to me eventually becoming your godfather."

"We will play along with the prank Sirius," Hermione says, agreeing with his reasons," We will go during the Easter break. We have to go to America for a day or two during the break as well to check up on a couple of things. You are welcome to come along if you want."

"Sounds like fun. Anything to spend time with you two is all right by me." He replies," everyone best get on to class now."

"Okay Sirius," Harry agrees for the group," We will see you later."

The Potters and the rest rise and split up to go to their first class for the day while Sirius heads to the Defense class the assist Professor Lupin.

For the next few weeks while the storm rages outside Harry and Hermione attend classes with their friends and visit Hagrid every other day or so to keep him company. The Friday of the first week of February, the storm finally blows itself out during the night. It will go down in history as the worst storm seen in Scotland since the Normans invasion of England in 1066. Early the next morning, Harry and Hermione fly out from the Astronomy tower to check out the damage. The only thing they can see anywhere is snow with chimneys sticking up. Everything is covered to the rooftops.

"I hope there weren't any fatalities from the Storm," Hermione says.

"Let's start clearing everything out," Harry says agreeing with her sentiment.

With magic and their laser vision they clear the snow from around the greenhouses and make a path to the front doors and also down to the front gates. Next they work towards Hagrid's hut so he can get up to the castle. Hagrid waves at them in a friendly manor as they fly by on the way to check the centaur camp. The centaurs haven't returned yet so they clear out the camp area for them and turn back toward the castle.

"Let's change into the Hunter's and check on Hogsmead," Harry says to Hermione.

They change their form and fly over to the town they discover that even though the town is covered in snow there are tunnels going everywhere under the snow where the streets are. They land at the entrance to the tunnels and walk to the Three Broomsticks to see how things are.

They walk in the door causing the patrons look to see who has come in.

"What can I get for you," Rosmerta asks in a friendly way," Did you find those missing children you were looking for?"

"Yes we did, safe and sound," Huntress says," Thanks for asking about the children and we actually came to see if you needed anything. The storm is finally over."

"Who dug the tunnels," Hunter asks?

"The goblins did that for us,"Rosmerta says," They are good at tunneling rock so snow wasn't a problem for them. Said it was bad for business for everyone to be stuck inside. Fixed the town right up. The tunnels protected everyone from the storm and business has been good."

"That's good to hear," Hunter says," We will clear the snow for you and also clear a road to the school. I think the students would love to get out of the castle after being cooped up for so long, so get ready for some more business."

"That is exactly what we need," Rosmerta says with a big smile," The laughter of children to bring our spirits back up."

The Hunters bow to Rosmerta and say in unison" You wish is our command."

They walk out the door and everyone crowds around the windows as they watch the Hunters work.

"Now ain't that somthin," one of the patrons comments," Looks like they are firin' spells from ther' hands and ther' eyes."

"They definably got to be the Elders we heard about," someone else says.

There's general agreement all around as they go back to their food and drinks.

Hunter and Huntress clear out the town and the road leading to the school for the students before changing back and flying to the Castle. They alight in front of the main doors and with a wave of their hands the doors open allowing the fresh air and sunshine into the Main Hall, to the cheers of the students nearby. Classes are canceled for the rest of the day and a Hogmead visit authorized to the delight of the students causing a general exodus towards Hogsmead as students are anxious to get out for the day.

Refreshed from a Hogsmead weekend and the fresh air the students continue their classes in high spirits. Valentine's Day comes and goes with Harry and Hermione spending the evening in their suite having a candlelight dinner and dancing to music provided by the castle. The next few weeks run smoothly with no incidents and soon it is time for the Easter break, or spring break.

/

After explaining to the study group that they would not be on the train for the trip to London, Harry walks up to Sirius at the head table.

"You ready to go prank your mother," he asks?

Sirius has gotten to know Harry and Hermione fairly well over the preceding weeks and suggests, "Call your parents for permission first and then you can phase us to the park in front of the house so I can let you in. I will have to be the one to open the house before you can enter it."

"Okay Sirius," Hermione says," we will call them and get ready. Meet us in the suite in twenty minutes."

Sirius nods agreement and continues with his meal. Hermione calls her mother and lets her know the plan and says they will meet them at home later in the day. Sirius shows up at the appointed time and gives Harry the coordinates of the park so he can phase them there.

When they appear, Harry says after looking around," That's weird; I can see a fuzzy outline between number eleven and number thirteen. Is that where your house is Sirius?"

"You can see something there?" Sirius asks," You shouldn't be able to see anything."

"I can see it too," Hermione says," even though it is fuzzy and not clear, it's there. Is there a reason we're not supposed to see anything?"

"The house is under a Fidelius Charm," Sirius says, "that should render it invisible to everyone that doesn't know the secret. Your parent's house was under one Harry and that's why it was such a big deal about who was the secret keeper back then. Read this and tell me what you see."

They both read the slip of parchment." Black Manor is at Twelve Grimmauld Place."

As soon as they read it the fuzzy view clears right up and they can see the house.

"We can see it normally now," Hermione says," It was probably our special vision that allowed us to see what we could. If we weren't looking for it we might not have noticed it."

"The aurors might be able to use you for this ability if they suspect someone is hiding under the charm but only have a general location where the hideout might be," Sirius says," we should let Madam Bones know you have this ability if they need it."

"We are always ready to help," Harry says," let's go in."

The trio walks to the front door where Sirius puts his hand on the snake like handle and opens the door. The door makes a creaking sound like in an old horror movie as it opens. As they enter the house, dust is stirred up with each step they take and there is a musty, moldy smell in the air. The wall paper is peeling off in strips and the floors are covered in frayed and threadbare carpet that looks like it might have been green at one time. There is an umbrella stand in one corner of the entrance hall that looks like it was made out of the foot of some animal with long toes.

"Igneous," Sirius says.

This causes the gas lights to ignite which sheds some light on the gloom.

"Who dares defile the House of Black with their presence," a woman's voice is heard to scream.

"My mother," Sirius whispers to the kids, then louder," It's me Sirius mother, come to see you after all these years."

"How dare you come into this house? You are no son of mine," she screams back at him as the trio rounds the corner and looks up at her.

"I came to introduce you to my godson Harry Potter and his mate Hermione Granger," he says.

She hears the name Potter and her face gets very red as the steam builds up for another outburst.

"POTTER," she sputters with drool coming from her mouth in her madness," They are the worst sort. I will not have them in my house. KREACHER, remove these things from my house at once."

An old bent over house elf pops in looking at the floor mumbling to him-self about serving his mistress.

"Yous do nots belongs here," he starts out, getting ready to blast them from the house by raising his hands and looking up at them. As soon as he spots Harry and Hermione his eyes get wide and he turns to the painting.

"Yous will not speaks that way tos thems Mistress," Kreacher says silencing her," Theys is the Great Elders. I coulds not moves them if I wants."

The elf turns to the Potters and bows deeply with his head touching the floor." Welcomes to the House of Black, Elders. What's cans I dos for yous?"

"Hello Kreacher," Hermione says while kneeling down to his level," It looks like we can do something for you. Would you like to bond with us? You can still serve the House of Black as you always have."

He nods at her in awe.

"Sirius, I need you to give him a piece of clothing to free him so Harry and I can bond with him. It will be well worth your while to do this." She says.

With the painting looking on, still speechless from Kreacher's spell, Sirius gives him a glove.

"I give you clothes, you are free," Sirius says.

Kreacher takes the glove and then looks at Hermione with wide eyes as she puts her hands on his shoulders. Her hands start to glow and she says," I bond with you as family, Kreacher Potter."

As they watch, Kreacher starts to grow and take on the look of the other elves that the Potter's have bonded with. He gets the shimmering green hair and the golden complexion. He also seems to de-age a number of years and looks young and healthy again.

He stands up tall and says," Thank you my Lady. I feel like a new elf. I now have the energy to do what I haven't been able to in a long time."

With that said, he snaps his fingers and the dust and mildew disappears from the area they are in and he moves off to start on the rest of the house.

Hermione looks up and releases the painting from the silencing spell.

"You really are Elders," Mrs. Black says, the madness now gone from her eyes.

"Yes ma'am, we are," Hermione says, then holds up her rings for the painting to see," I am also the direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw. My husband is the descendent of the other two founders and we own Hogwarts School."

Mrs. Black stands up and bows to Hermione and reseats herself, then asks," How can the house of Black serve the new Lady Slytherin?"

Sirius is looking on in wonder at how Hermione has handled the whole situation with his mother and Kreacher. This is the most civil he has heard her since he was in his teens and the change in the elf was amazing to watch.

"Hermione answers the painting of Mrs. Black," The first thing we have to do is change your attitude about blood superiority."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Black asks indignantly," Purebloods **are** superior to half-bloods and mud-bloods. That's the way it has always been."

"I assume that is what your parents taught you and their parents before them?" Hermione asks the painting.

Mrs. Black nods once in the affirmative.

"That is where the problem lies." Hermione says," Pureblood supremacy is a taught ideal with no basis in fact."

Even Sirius sits up when he hears her say that," Care to explain that Hermione. That's what I was taught all my life as well."

She looks over at him, "Yes but you ran away from home because of it. Didn't you?"

"Actually, I ran away because dad and mum disapproved of my friendship with James Potter and kept berating me because I was a Gryffindor and not in Slytherin. " Sirius answers, with the painting nodding in agreement," James also believed it until Lilly put him in his place. She totally ignored James and constantly called him an arrogant pureblooded bigot. It took him until seventh year to realize she was right, and admit to himself that his attitude would never win him the girl he wanted more than anything."

Hermione closes her eyes in concentration and then casts a spell at the painting. When she opens her eyes she calls out," Grandpa, could you join us for a few minutes? Just follow my voice to find me."

She keeps talking until a man walks into Mrs. Black's painting. The man looks at Hermione with a smile, blinks one eye at her and turns to the lady, bows and kisses the back of her hand.

"Salazar Slytherin, at your service," he says," And who might you be lovely lady?"

Mrs. Black, who had stood up in anticipation of meeting Hermione's grandfather, nearly faints when he introduces himself. He helps her back into her chair and then with a wave of his hand conjures one for himself and sits down.

"Walburga Black, Slytherin class of 1943," she says, all in a dither.

He lets go of her hand and turns to face his audience.

"What can I do for you Hermione," he asks?

"I need to convince Mrs. Black of the truth that there is no such thing as a pureblood witch or wizard," she answers," This is Sirius Black, my husband's godfather and her son. He hasn't heard this either."

Salazar nods at Sirius in greeting and then proceeds to explain about how all people with magic had to have a magical ancestor and that there is no such thing as a true muggleborn either.

"So you see," he concludes," under your way of thinking, my granddaughter would be considered a muggleborn because her parents are both are dentists and live in the muggle world, where in fact, magic just skipped three generations before manifesting itself again in her. Her husband's mother was the same. She was magical while her sister is not, so magic skipped a couple of generations in her family while her son Harry can trace his ancestry all the way back to King Arthur and beyond."

"Thank you Grandfather," Hermione says," I love to hear your lessons."

"Any time Hermione," He says with a smile," May I stay for a little while?"

"Of course grandfather," she says, smiling back at him," I made this connection so you could visit here and for Mrs. Black to be able to visit the castle. We intend to use this house for the London headquarters of the Order of the Knights of the Round Table. It's in a nice central location and perfect for our needs."

"How can we help Hermione?" Her grandfather asks.

"Our ultimate goal is to unite this planet under one government to bring it into the wider intergalactic community," She answers," You can help with your military experience and I'm sorry for not asking. Mrs. Black, what did your family do to acquire the wealth you have?"

"The Black family has always been merchants. We trade worldwide to get the hard to find items," She answers.

"That means you have contacts the world over," Hermione confirms.

"That is correct," she says," we have business contacts in just about every country of the world."

"That is good to hear. Harry and I will be flying missions in other countries starting this summer and will need those contacts as a starting point," Hermione says.

"What do you mean by flying missions," Mrs. Black asks," you sound like those muggle yanks from when I was a young lady."

Harry and Hermione morph into their Panthers personas and proceed to rise up a meter above the floor.

"We are the Panteras," they say together," Hunters of truth and justice."

They alight back on the floor and change back to their original forms," We are going to start in the Middle East this summer. We believe there is a dark lord or two stirring up trouble with the locals by using their religion as a basis for violence against each other and hatred for western countries. Your contacts over there could give us a friendly face to meet and get information from."

"That was amazing," Salazar says," even Merlin couldn't do that, or we would have heard about it."

"Thank you grandfather," Hermione says," Harry and I need to get over to my parent's house today and we still need to go to Diagon Alley to see Ollivander about our staves. You are welcome to stay here as long as Mrs. Black wants or you can take her back to the castle to meet your friends there. I'm sure she would like to get out of the house once in a while."

"That I would Hermione," Mrs. Black says and then turns to Sirius," I was wrong about you Sirius. You have made good friends and have established excellent connections to the right people."

"Thank you mother," Sirius says with tears in his eyes. All he ever wanted was respect and acceptance from his family and it looks like he finally got it.

Harry and Hermione quietly step out the front door while Sirius is happily getting reacquainted with his mother.


	17. Chapter 17

**(AN) **A little ways down you will be prompted to read a story about a side trip the Elders make during their break from school. The story is just under eleven thousand words, so if you are like me and like to stay up late reading, try not to start this chapter while you are tired. Reading the add-on will make the part of this chapter right after the trip and future chapters less confusing. One last thing, this is an AU world and the ISS station has been in orbit for some years already. With that said, let's continue on with the story:

**Chapter 40: **

Harry and Hermione step out the front door and close it quietly behind them. They pause as they are both are able to see a shimmering in the air at the base of the stairs where the wards end.

"I think we should phase from here Harry," Hermione says," There are too many people around that might notice us if we appear suddenly out of thin air by walking down the stairs."

"I think you are right Hermione," Harry agrees," Back garden then?"

She nods at him and they phase to the Granger's back garden and walk up to the door where Jeeves is waiting for them.

"Thank you Jeeves," she says as they enter the house, and then yells out," Mum, Dad, we're home."

The elder Grangers run into the patio room and grab up their children, with big hugs for each of them.

"Welcome home, you two," Mrs. Granger says," Look what I can do."

She pulls her wand out and points it at a planter in the window.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she incants with a determined look on her face.

With a swish and a flick the vase rises up a few centimeters and she guides it over to a table where she sets it down again. She looks over at Harry and Hermione with a smile on her face.

"That's great mum," Hermione squeals and hugs her again.

Mrs. Granger puts her wand away and everyone walks into the sitting room to catch up on the happenings at school after the storm. Hermione explains about Sirius Black and tells them what happened with Peter Petigrew.

"We need to go to Diagon Alley." Harry informs their parents after a while," Would you two like to go? We are going to Ollivanders to check on our staves. Also, we need to go to America this week, as we promised to check in with Mrs. Donaldson on her hover chair project. We can visit Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha while we are there."

"Let's have some lunch first and then we can all go," Mrs. Granger says, agreeing.

After lunch everyone gathers in a circle in the sitting room for Harry to phase them to Diagon Alley. After arriving at the apparition point, it is just a short walk to Ollivanders. The bell charm rings as they enter his shop.

Mr. Ollivander hears the charm go off and comes out from the back of his shop, spotting the Potters and Grangers, he bows a welcome to them.

"Welcome back to my humble shop Elders. Your staves are ready to be tested. If they test out the way I hope they will, you can take them home with you today."

The group follows Mr. Ollivander to the back of his store where he pulls two very long boxes out from a storage rack. He hands one box to Harry and one to Hermione; when the couple opens their respective boxes they get looks of awe on their faces.

"They're beautiful," Hermione exclaims.

"They are both made from the magical Desert Ironwood tree, which is found in Arizona, and have seven cores each in them. The wood type should be able to handle the heat generated by your power and seven is a magical number of great significance, so that's why there are seven cores."

Hermione reaches in to pull her staff out of the box and as soon as she touches it the jewel at the top starts to glow. The staff stands just taller than her, with a baseball sized green jewel at the top being held in place by the jaws of a large snake, which is also coiled around the top third of the staff. Standing on the snakes head is an eagle with its wings swept back as if landing. The eyes of the snake and eagle are made of blue sapphires. The wood of the staff is a deep dark brown and black mix that has been polished to a high sheen with a weighted black metal cap for balance at the bottom.

Harry pulls his staff out and it also is just taller than him, only his has a red ruby at the top. The ruby is slightly larger than Hermione's jewel and is held in place by a lion on the right and badger on the left. Each animal is standing on its hind legs with it bottom claws sunk into the wood of the staff. Each animal is using its upper legs and claws to hold the jewel in place. Their faces are both turned toward the front with their canines showing a fierce expression. The animal's eyes are made of yellow Imperial Topaz gems.

"Each staff has been charmed to be fire resistant up to a thousand degrees centigrade and will grow as you grow. A single core will handle a power level of up to three thousand without burning out, so the staffs should be able to handle a power level up to twenty one thousand," Mr. Ollivander says.

"Shall we test them," Harry prompts?

Mr. Ollivander leads them through the door to the special testing facility and sets up the power measuring target.

"Go ahead sweetheart, just like last time," Harry says and casts a shield.

She takes the staff in her right hand and lifts it up from the ground while pointing the top toward the target.

"Stupify," she incants out loud so everyone can hear.

A bright green beam of light shoots out of the jewel at the top, with blue streamers coming from the sapphires and swirling around the outside of the main beam. The dual colored beam impacts the target and the number 20,734 appears above it.

"I kept the power below what you said Mr. Ollivander, but I thought stupefy was a red spell," Hermione says as Harry lowers the shield.

"With a normal wand it is," he replies," your jewels determine the color of the light emitted from your staff. Could you place your staff on the table for a minute so I can check it?"

She complies and Mr. Ollivander waves his wand over it checking the cores and charm work.

"Everything checks out and your staff didn't even get hot like I thought it would," he reports," You're next Harry."

Harry sets up while Hermione casts a shield with a wave of her hand.

Harry points the top of his staff toward the target.

"Stupify," he incants.

A red beam of light with yellow streamers shoots from his staff and he gets the same numbers as Hermione.

"These staves will be our symbols as elders to the rest of the world and the universe," Harry and Hermione declare as one as they bond with them with their eyes aglow with power.

Mr. Ollivander bows deeply to them in acknowledgement of their declaration.

"Each staff will shrink down to wand size until they are needed for high powered work," he instructs," I wouldn't recommend using them at school in their expanded form. Even in wand size, nobody else will be able to use them as you two are the only ones with enough magical power to channel through seven cores. To shrink them just will them to be wands."

Harry and Hermione will their staffs to be wands and they shrink down to the size of a normal wand, where they put them in their holsters in place of their old ones.

"How much do we owe you Mr. Ollivander," Harry asks?

"I'll only charge you for the materials and travel expenses," He says," It was an honor creating those staves and I would like to display non-working copies for the public to view. That would price them both at two thousand fifty seven galleons."

"Here is three thousand," Harry says imprinting his ring in the payment wax next to the cash register," You did a beautiful job with your craftsmanship. The staves are nothing less than a work of art and the artist deserves to get paid well for his work.

"Thank you elder," Mr. Ollivander says with a bow.

Hermione waves her hand and a display case flashes into existence on the side of the store near the front window display with copies of the two staves in an exe pattern inside, along with a plaque that reads:

These are non-working copies

Of the staves of

The Elders of the Universe

Lovingly crafted by master wand maker

Garrick Ollivander

"That's perfect elder," Mr. Ollivander says looking it over," thank you for letting me display these copies and again for the honor of creating your staves. If you need further assistance you need but ask."

"We certainly will and we will definitely spread the word of your fine craftsmanship." Hermione says to Mr. Ollivander as he walks them to the door.

The family returns home where they spend the next couple of days just enjoying being together as a family.

_**(AN) Insert my story The Elders take a Side Trip Here. **_

Harry and Hermione come back down the stairs in a more orderly fashion and walk back into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Sorry about that mum," Hermione says," Your question prompted our understanding of something that was told to us last night in a dream. To answer your question though, the mission went fine. We actually spent fifty years there and cleaned up a lot of messes that needed cleaning. We made a lot of friends while we were there and saved a whole galaxy from extinction."

"Must have been some mission," her mother comments.

"It was mum," Harry answers for Hermione," The Creator even kept us from aging physically while we were there. Wouldn't do to come back as adults. There would be too many questions asked."

Harry claps his hands together twice and says," Okay, who is up for a trip to America? Mum, can you and dad get a few days off from work?"

"Yes, we already scheduled three days to go see my sister," She answers," Can you take us there to save time?"

"Of course mum," Harry agrees," We really need to have a car over there that doesn't stand out like a limo does though."

Jeeves, who was standing in the background steps up and says," I have taken care of that My Lord. You own a brand new S class Mercedes car. It still has the Potter plates but will attract less attention and still be comfortable," he informs everyone.

Thank you Jeeves," Harry says," you can still drive us around when we need to be seen in public like that."

"Thank you My Lord," He says proudly.

Since there is a six hour difference in time zones it is decided the family will wait till just after afternoon tea to port over to the family home in Glendale. Around four that afternoon Harry conjures a hoop and taps it with his finger.

"Portus," he intones.

The hoop glows blue momentarily and with the luggage gathered in the center Harry activates the Port Key and in a flash of light the family disappears.

About thirty seconds later they reappear in the entrance to their Glendale home in another flash of light. Franklin is there to meet them.

"Welcome back Lord and Lady," he says bowing.

"Thank you Franklin. It's good to be back," Harry says.

It's about ten in the morning, Kansas time, so after putting their things away they walk to the garage and climb into the Mercedes for the trip to the Kent Farm. With Jeeves driving, the iron gates open to let the car through and the people at the store wave to them as they pass. Jeeves turns right at the highway and after about a forty five minute drive, turns into the Kent's driveway. Clark is playing on the porch and spots them turn in.

"Mom," he calls out," someone's here!"

Martha Kent looks up from what she is doing and spots Potter on the license plate and squeals happily.

"Jonathan!" she yells," Helen and George are here! Oh I hope they brought the kids."

Jonathan walks out of the barn with a rag in his hands wiping the dirt off. He lays it on the fence as he walks out to greet his wife's family. The car pulls up to the house and the family gets out. Clark spots Harry and Hermione and starts running out to them where they pick him up and spin him around in glee.

"How are you Clark," Hermione asks?

"I am doing well cousin Hermione," he answers," I am glad you are here."

"Me too cousin. Me too," she says taking him by the hand and walking with him into the house behind their parents.

For two days the Grangers and Potters stay at the Kent's. Mr. Kent is in the middle of harvesting the winter wheat, along with planting the corn and sorghum for the coming season. Harry and Hermione rise early with the Kent's and ride on the tractors where they learn about farming. On the third day the family says goodbye to the Kent's and Jeeves drives them to Glendale for an inspection of the new hospital and to talk with Dr. Donaldson.

As they drive into town everyone can see the construction work being done on the hospital building. Workers are everywhere doing their part to get the building up and running. Harry and Hermione visit with Healer Winthrop while the Grangers check up on the dental clinic. They are informed the hospital will be up and running by the time school lets out for the summer. Harry and Hermione make the rounds with Healer Winthrop and lend a hand where they can, reassuring the patients that all will recover. When they are done at the hospital the Potters walk over to another large building that is being used for Dr. Donaldson's lab experiments.

Dr. Donaldson greets them at the door," It's good to see you Elders."

"It's Harry and Hermione Dr. Donaldson," Harry responds in greeting as he shakes her hand.

"Then its Katheryn," She responds back with a smile.

"How's Crystal doing," Hermione asks?

"She is doing well," Katheryn says while walking them to her lab.

When they enter the lab Harry and Hermione spot a chair sitting in the middle of the room. There is a seat belt type strap in the place where you would expect one to be. The right and left arms have a small joystick where a person's hands will rest while sitting. The bottom of the chair has a small flare on each side to indicate a round object is underneath.

"This is the first prototype," Katheryn says.

She uses her wand to raise the chair up so everyone can see the underside. There is a ring of metal on the inside of the flared section with runes carved into it. A black box is in the center with wires coming out of it. Around the box and attached to the ring is a mesh of wire that forms a hemispheric grid that looks like the top half of a ball.

"The runes are there to power the generator," She explains," the grid is used to steer the chair in the direction you want to go. The black box generates the null gravity field around the chair."

She lowers the chair back to the floor and sits in it. She pushes a button on the right arm and the chair rises up a few centimeters off the floor. She uses the joystick to steer the chair around the room.

"Watch this," she says.

Katheryn guides the chair over to a set of stairs that were put in for experimenting with. She rides the chair up the stairs and back down again.

"I put a gyroscopic system in the box for stability and a smooth ride," she explains," the whole assembly comes right out of the chair for easy construction. There is also a built in back up system as a safety measure. I sure don't want any of my chairs failing while on a stairway."

"Good thinking Katheryn," Hermione says admiring her work.

"The whole package will be sealed and tamperproof. If someone tries to steal one to learn our technology the only thing they will find when they open it up is ashes and useless junk," Katheryn continues with her presentation," The chair can be made to any specification the customer wants. Our technology will be made to fit right inside."

"That sounds very good Katheryn," Harry says and then waves his hand in a sweeping gesture across the back of the warehouse. Several large reels of Trinium wire appear stacked neatly along the back wall.

"We approve of your design." Hermione says," Please set up what you need to make a few hundred of these so they can be brought to the public's attention. Scour the country for the patients with the most need and donate a chair free of charge through their hospital. Try to get as many of these out as you can."

Harry continues," If this works the way we think it will you will find more business than you will know what to do with. The chairs devices will always be free. The customer can get a basic chair for no extra charge while they will have to pay for any fancy upgrades they might want. Where the business will come from will be for things like pallets that float instead of needing a pallet jack to move them. Even things like stretchers for wounded soldiers or accident victims. It will make it easier for the paramedics to remove an injured person over rough terrain. A person runs their car off a steep embankment and needs help back up. Those kinds of things. The possibilities are endless for your rune based design. You can experiment to see what the top weight the runes can handle is. If you can manage a fusion reactor there is no limit. If you could get a null field around a building the building would become weightless and could be moved. The only thing you would have to worry about is mass."

Katheryn is standing there with her eyes glazed over thinking of all the possibilities.

"I think you broke her Harry," Hermione says with a smile.

Katheryn comes out of the haze and says," . You've just given me a lot to think about. Most of those things you mentioned are small enough to easily use what I just developed on. This is going to take a lot of planning to do this right."

"You have our permission to hire as many people as you need," Harry says formally," Good work Dr. Donaldson. I hope to see lots of floating devices made with your discovery."

"Thank you Lord and Lady Potter," She says.

She starts pacing back and forth muttering to herself as the Potters let themselves out.

"I've got to get started right away. I know just the people I can hire," could be heard as they walk out the door.

They reunite with their parents and Jeeves drives them back to the house behind the General Store where they depart back to their home in Crawley.

When they arrive home there is a message waiting for the Elders from the Russian Government. It is time to switch out the Russian crew of the station and bring in more supplies. An American contingent will be there as well to greet us and to view the Phoenix.

"Looks like we need to leave again for a day or so," Harry says to Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

"Go and do what you promised Harry. Go with him Hermione." Mr. Granger says," Your place is at his side. We will see you when you get back."

Hermione walks up to her dad and hugs him, then Harry and Her retreat to their room to change into their Elder robes. They are still the same dark maroon color as their school robes were but all of the edges of their robes are now lined with runes in aqua stitching. They are both wearing a maroon shirt with black pants and very dark maroon knee high boots. Around their waist, each wears a black belt with what looks like several small pockets and each Elder has a silver cylinder hanging on the left side. Their fifty years in the Leggit galaxy has made them very comfortable in their own skin and they've decided to keep the uniforms they wore as Jedi Consulars. With their light sabers clipped to their belts and their staves shrunk to wand size, the pair phase to the ISS station orbiting the Earth three hundred and seventy kilometers above.

The Elders phase in to the bridge of the Phoenix and walk through the airlock to the station and onto to the command deck.

"Anyone need a lift," Harry asks?

The Russians all raise their hands.

"If you haven't already, gather what you are taking with you and move them to the Phoenix," Harry says," If you need help, just ask."

The American commander gets Harry's attention," There is a payload of supplies ready at Cape Kennedy that is waiting for a launch window you could pick up for us. That is why the American contingent will be at the Baikonur Cosmodrome waiting on your arrival. They want to inspect your cargo hold to see if it is large enough for that payload, along our Russian friend's personnel and supplies at the same time.

"That shouldn't be a problem Commander," Hermione says," We have plenty of people space and the cargo hold is empty at the moment."

The Russian commander moves over to Harry and asks," We saw the specifications for that metal you called Trinium in the computer you left for us. Are we allowed to share that information with our allies and friends?"

"Yes, "Hermione says to the Commander," We have plans to give the formula for manufacture to all the major governments of the world. We already gave the formula to the metallurgists working for that railroad company in America where the accident happened in Metropolis. It is our intention that all the peoples of the world benefit from the protection Trinium offers. It is virtually indestructible and will make transportation and construction safer and less costly."

He nods at her in agreement with a smile," Thank you Elders. I will bring it to my superior's attention when we get home."

Harry adds, "Be sure to stress to your superiors that we as Elders will not favor one country over another. The Americans got the formula first because we happened to be vacationing there and saw the results of the train accident. There were toxic fumes and smoke threatening to poison parts of the city. We decided then it was time to hopefully help prevent future accidents of such nature. If we had been in Moscow it could have been the Russians that got the formula first. Be assured if we give out any more formulas or ideas that will benefit all of mankind to any one country first, the rest of the world will follow shortly thereafter. We have a scientist working for us in America as part of Potter industries on hover technology using a null gravity field. If she manages to perfect it we will get this knowledge out everywhere. It will be especially beneficial to the medical industry for floating stretchers and the like. We know that parts of Russia's territory are prone to earthquakes and this type of technology will go a long way to make rescue efforts easier and safer. We are just getting started on a journey to a better world."

"Harry and I are the Elders for the planet Earth," Hermione explains to the astronauts that have all gathered around to hear," We were born here and this is our home. We may need to leave form time to time on missions for the Creator like you saw us do a little over a week ago. But we are available for any country that needs our help. As you can tell by our accents we are based out of London England. If you have a national disaster like a major earthquake or large forest fire that gets out of control send word and we will come. That is one of the reasons we are here."

Harry orders, "Everyone needing a lift down to the planet please come aboard the Phoenix and let's get started. Travel time should be about thirty minutes or so. Next stop the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Please make sure they have at least a two hundred and fifty meter landing zone for us. We don't need a runway, just a large open space."

Once the departing crew is inside Harry closes the airlock and walks onto the bridge with Hermione. Harry conjures chairs for everyone to get comfortable.

"We have very good inertial dampers. You won't feel a thing as we descend."

Harry and Hermione sit in the command chairs and place their hands in the indents on their chairs and bring up the power for the trip. A slight increase in the background hum tells the astronauts something is happening. The docking port is retracted and the Phoenix gets under way. Harry and Hermione fly the Phoenix towards Kazakhstan where the cosmodrome is and starts their descent. A blue shield snaps in place around the Phoenix as it hits the atmosphere and eases the ship through re-entry without causing the usual heat discharge caused by friction with the air. As the Phoenix approaches the Cosmodrome Hermione notices a large area lit up with flashing lights.

"Let's set down there Harry," she says, "Looks like they are waiting."

On the ground the Russian ground crew that handles returning astronauts are waiting with a vehicle to take them to their debriefing while more crew are readying the supplies that is going back up to the station. Everyone looks up as they hear a slight humming sound above them and since it is night they see what looks like a ring of light with a diameter of two hundred meters that has a white bird in the center. The bird is descending very fast and only slows down at the last minute to hover a hundred meters above the ground. Three landing struts extend from the ship and it settles down on the landing pad gently. A door opens at the top of one of the landing struts and the returning Russian astronauts descend the steps. A large pair of cargo doors appears on the side of the lower section and a ramp large enough for an eighteen wheeler extends down to the pad. The cargo handlers go to work unloading the returning experiments and modules, then load the hold with the returning supplies.

Harry and Hermione approach the Russian commander in charge and Harry says in perfect Russian.

"Everyone safe and accounted for sir," Harry reports," When you are ready we will take the replacement crew and their supplies back to the station. We understand the Americans also have a payload ready. There is plenty of room in our hold for whatever you want to send up. We can even make room for any new modules you might want to add to the station. Hermione and I don't need suits to work in space so we can help install them when they are ready."

"Would you like a tour of the Phoenix?" Hermione asks," We understand the Americans sent a delegation to inspect the cargo handling capabilities we have."

"I would like that very much young lady," The commander says with a bow.

As they walk toward the ship Hermione informs the commander," As we told the astronauts on the station, we will make the Phoenix available for this service until you can build your own version of the Phoenix. This will save your country and the Americans a lot of money that would be spent on launch vehicle expenditures. This money could be spent on building your own ships that don't require rockets and would be useable over and over again. The Phoenix is over fifty years old and you won't find any evidence of aging or stress. The form of any ship you build doesn't matter. This just happens to be what we wanted our ship to look like."

The Russians and Americans board the ship where Hermione gives a full tour, explaining how everything works. Harry is in the cargo hold directing the cargo handlers on where to store everything. When the tour is done and the cargo stored, Harry and Hermione meet on the landing pad with their passengers and the Russian commander.

"Commander," Hermione says to get his attention.

"Yes Elder," he answers?

"We are going to cloak the ship when we take off," she in forms him," The Phoenix is designed after a flying saucer from an old science fiction movie and we don't need the civilian population getting in an uproar by seeing us fly over. I'm sure your TV has this kind of thing as well."

"Yes. I remember some of those old American Movies from when I was younger. I think I know the movie you are referring to and I agree with you. We don't want to start a panic. Do what you must. This area is pretty isolated and the people that work here will stay silent." He agrees.

"Everyone going to the ISS Station please board now. We will be stopping in Florida to load more cargo and should be at the station by 0700 hours GMT.

The American contingent along with the Russian replacement astronauts board the Phoenix and the door is shut and sealed. The cargo ramp is retracted and the doors close. Where the doors were on the side of the ship disappears like they were never there. The ground crew watches as the lights start spinning around the outer rim of the saucer section and a low hum builds up as the Phoenix lifts off the ground. The landing struts retract into the ship and as it starts to rise higher the ship disappears as the cloak is engaged.

The trip to Florida is uneventful and The Elders wait until the Phoenix is over the space port before de-cloaking. A large crowd of NASA employees have gathered to watch the Phoenix touch down. The ground crew gets to work quickly though and with professional efficiency soon have the Phoenix loaded and ready to go. With a quick farewell, the Phoenix lifts off and after cloaking accelerates towards the station in orbit above. The docking, along with offloading of passengers and cargo go well, and soon the Potters are back home with their parents.

/

The last few days of Spring break pass slowly with the Potters and Grangers savoring every moment of their time together. On the morning of the return trip to Hogwarts School, the family all have a delicious breakfast prepared by Jeeves before heading out.

On arrival at Kings Cross Jeeves finds a parking spot and unloads the trunks from the boot and loads them on trollies. Harry and Hermione hug their father goodbye while Mrs. Granger follows them onto the platform. After one last goodbye from their mother the children board the train.

The potters wander down the train to their usual compartment where they fine Neville and Luna already there.

"How was your Easter, Luna," Hermione asks?

"I had a good time," Luna answers," I brought something to show you."

Luna pulls a cage out from under the seat she is sitting on. Inside the cage is a strange little animal. Luna takes the animal from its cage and puts it in her lap. It is covered in a soft downy fur that casts a soft greenish glow while she runs her hand through it. The animal is about twenty centimeters long and has a short tail with fir stuck out at all angles. On its forehead is a small nub, that on close inspection looks like a grey horn that is pushed in on itself.

"Luna," Hermione asks," is that?"

"Yes," Luna interrupts with a smile," This is a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"It's so cute," Hermione says," May I?"

Luna passes the Snorkack over to her and she places it on her lap. Crookshanks comes over and the two animals touch noses sniffing each other out. The kneezle then returns to his previous spot having satisfied his curiosity.

"I love the way its fur glows when you run your fingers through it," Hermione says in delight," It's very soothing."

"That was actually how we found them," Luna says," We were walking along a hiking trail near the park in Iceland that we were staying in and noticed a green glow in some bushes along the trail. The glow disappeared as we approached the bushes but soon returned when this one walked right up to me and started climbing up my boot. We tried to leave it behind when we left, as we didn't want to remove it from its native habitat, but it kept coming back and it's been with me ever since."

"Harry and I have always believed you when you talk about your animals Luna," Hermione says," We've learned the magical world is very diverse and anything is possible. Just because Harry and I may not have seen one of your animals does not mean it is not real. We have observed that you are very good with animals and nature in general and may be able to see what Harry and I cannot."

Luna gets a little teary eyed at the praise and confidence shown her," Thank you Elders. Coming from you, that means lot to me."

How about you Neville," Harry asks?

"Mine was good," Neville answers," I worked in my greenhouse and went to visit my parents."

"What happened to your parents Neville?" Harry asks," You've never mentioned them before."

"There's not much to mention," he says," they've been in a coma since I was a baby. They were attacked by Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband using the Cruciatus curse."

"That's terrible Neville," Hermione says," Is there anything we can do?"

"Not unless you know somebody that can cure a coma," He answers back with a shrug.

"Where are they," Harry asks?

"In the long term spell damage ward at St. Mungo's," Neville answers.

Harry and Hermione look at each other and nod slightly.

The rest of the group trickles in one at a time after that and the train eventually pulls from the station. When everyone is settled in, Hermione sets up the study schedule for the group and then she and Harry excuse themselves for a few minutes to use the loo. Harry and Hermione walk through the last car and onto the vestibule at the back of the train. From there they phase into the Long term spell damage ward at St. Mungo's. During the phase, both Potters mundane clothes change into their Elders robes.

"I wished he would have told us about this a long time ago," Hermione says as they walk over to where the Longbottoms are.

The Elders have their hoods up so they won't be recognized if someone walks in on them. The Longbottoms are sitting up in bed staring straight ahead, unaware of their surroundings.

"Sleep," Hermione says with a wave of her hand.

Both the adults lie down and go to sleep. Harry walks around to the head of Frank Longbottoms bed and from behind, places his hands on both sides of his Mr. Longbottom's head. Hermione does the same for Alice Longbottom. A blue shield pops around the couple and their patients to prevent interference.

Both close their eyes and their hands start to glow.

Harry enters Franks mind and senses no physical damage. Neville was wrong. It wasn't the Cruciatus spell used on them all those years ago. Someone put a block on their higher functions. About all they could do is eat, sleep and go to the bathroom. Harry removes the block and encounters the mind of Franck Longbottom.

"Who are you," Frank asks," and where am I?"

"I am one of the Elders and you have been in St. Mungo's for twelve years. Your son Neville is in third year and it is end of Easter break. Relax while I heal your body from the atrophy of being in bed for so long. You will still need to take it easy until you build your strength up again. When you wake, it will be like you were in a long dream. Your mother is waiting outside. Neville is on the train to Hogwarts and unaware we are healing you. He is a good friend of mine and my wife's. You are welcome to come to Hogwarts when you are able."

Hermione is having a similar conversation with Alice.

While the healing is going on they get noticed by one of the healers walking by the door to the ward. He immediately contacts the director who opens the door and rushes over to interfere when he is gently pushed away by a shield. He reaches out and touches the shield which flares blue momentarily at his touch. He then runs to the nearest floo and contacts Madam Longbottom to tell her what is happening. She of course floos directly to the hospital and rushes into the ward to see two hooded persons with glowing hands on the heads of both her son and his wife. The director shows her the shield to keep her from charging the hooded pair.

"All we can do is wait to see what they are doing," he tells her.

She nods and they sit back and wait.

After about thirty minutes both Frank and Alice take deep breaths and arch their backs as the white glow spreads throughout their bodies. Madam Longbottom frets when she sees that happen. When the glow dies down the hooded pair look up at the crowd watching and fades away. The blue shield dissipates, then Frank and Alice Longbottom open their eyes and sit up in bed.

Frank looks around at his surroundings and spots his mother.

"Hi mum," he says.

Madam Longbottom bursts into tears and runs over to hug her son. Alice gets up from her bed and wobbly moves over to Franks where puts his arms around her.

"Do you know what happened?" Madam Longbottom asks," Did they say anything to you?"

"The one in my head said he was an Elder and that he and his wife are friends with Neville," Franks tells his mother," He said we are invited to Hogwarts as soon as we are able."

"That's the same thing she said to me," Alice says in agreement.

Madam Longbottom gasps as she hears this," There have been rumors floating around about a pair of Elders at the school. Either nobody knows them or they are not talking. I think Neville mentioned the Potters are the Elders but I didn't believe him as the elders are just a legend. Or so I thought before tonight."

"You mean James and Lilly," Franks asks?

"James and Lilly have been dead these past twelve years," Madam Longbottom informs them.

"You don't mean my godson Harry do you?" Alice asks with tears forming as she hears the news about her best friend.

"Lord Potter is your godson," her mother in law asks?

"So he's a lord now," She comments with a smile," and yes he is my godson."

"Let's get you two home to recover, so we can all go to Hogwarts and Surprise Neville," Madam Longbottom declares happily.

Harry and Hermione are standing there disillusioned and happy for Neville. With a straight face the pair phase back to the train to return to their compartment.

"That was a long break to go to the loo harry," Neville comments when they come back.

"We just went for a stroll and stood on the back vestibule for a while," Harry explains.

The rest of the trip to school continues to the normal routine of the study group and the house of the Phoenix. When it comes time to change into their uniforms the group gets a surprise when they see the uniforms of the Elders.

The students born of non-magical families recognize the uniform and cylinders but just think Harry and Hermione are acting out their fantasies, so they ignore the changes. This suites the Potters just fine. The rest of the term flows smoothly by with no more incidents. The Elders are called one more time to shuttle astronauts and supplies, for the Americans this time.

One evening, during the last week of term, Harry and Hermione are walking down a corridor on patrol when they run across Professor Trelawney.

"How are you Oracle," Harry asks politely?

Professor Trelawney looks up from her mumbling and starts to respond when her eyes glaze over and she recites in a harsh eerie voice:

"_**The Dark Lord has been abandoned by his followers. He is alone and friendless. Tonight, before the clock strikes twelve. His servant will break free from his twelve years of bondage. He will set out to rejoin his master. With his servant's aid, the Dark Lord will be reborn, more powerful than he was before. Tonight…the servant will break free…to rejoin his master." **_

Professor Trelawney coughs a couple of times and straightens up.

"Hello Elders, I am fine" she says returning their greeting as she passes by, totally unaware of what just happened.

"Well," Hermione comments as they continue their patrol," we will have to see about that."

"That's why we were sent here in the first place Hermione," Harry says.

"Yea," she whispers.

The couple finishes their patrol and retires for the night.

The next morning, while sitting at the round table eating breakfast, the post owls deliver the Daily Prophet newspaper to their subscribers. Hermione pays the owl that bought hers, opens the paper and gasps.

"What's up Hermione," Harry asks?

She just rolls the newspaper open in front of him. Harry looks down and reads the headline:

_**Peter Petigrew has escaped!**_


End file.
